


Impartial Inferno [An Enchanted Delight]

by flowerywoo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst, Cat/Human Hybrids, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Violence, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, implied self harm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-14
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23113690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerywoo/pseuds/flowerywoo
Summary: In which Jaehyun finds a cat hybrid on his way back to his student apartment and makes the mistake of sheltering him temporarily. Unfortunately for him, temporarily turns into permanently, leading to the endless stress of an unwanted parenting experience combined with the atrocities of life thrown at him in the form of adulting. And in the midst of childish tantrums, mental breakdowns, and incomplete deadlines, the elder finds himself falling victim to the delightful tactics and loving persona of the adorable hybrid by the name of Jungwoo.If only life wasn't cruel enough to separate them. And the worst part of it all? There is absolutely nothing Jaehyun can do to protect the child from the cruel claws of reality, some of which keep on hunting him despite being in a "safe" heaven. The only thing Jaehyun can do is pray for Jungwoo to not hate him, but even that doesn't seem possible anymore.
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Jungwoo
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally written for another fandom, one of which I am still part of and will /forever/ have a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, the original ship this was written for has been dead for years and I do not see the point of letting this idea go to waste. I just want to get this out of my system. Half of this is already written anyway so it's a matter of completing it and posting. I'll add more tags and more characters as the story progresses.
> 
> [WARNINGS]  
> Some of the topics in discussion will be heavy. This is rated /mature/ and /underage/ for a reason. The "endgame" of this story will not be the adult version of Jungwoo, but rather his 16yo version (or so?) and a /very/ mature (for a lack of a better word) Jaehyun. The age-gap will be roughly 12 years so do the math. I will write a warning at the beginning of each chapter to warn you about any heavy topics in discussions, some of which will include child abuse, bullying, hybrid-phobia (which is exactly what the word implies; i'm not creative enough for this lol), self-harm & low self-esteem, amongst others. Please read at your own risk.

**Reminder:** Jungwoo (7) || Jaehyun (19)  
 **Warning:** Mentions of potential child abuse

“Jaehyun, have you decided the topic you want to cover for the next unit? Finals will be around the corner in a few months. It’s better if we get this out of the way now and free our schedule to study in peace when the time comes.”

Nodding at his taller friend, the brunet walked along the streets of the semi-empty alley. The lamp posts illuminated the alley whilst the cool breeze caressed the exposed skin of the two students, sending a wave of chills down their spines. The water droplets hitting the ground created a mesmerizing dance as they merged together to form puddles that would most likely be gone by the time morning arrived. It had been raining for a while now, and if there was anything Jaehyun was thankful for it was his manager’s endless utility locker—the woman always had everything. And by everything, he really meant _everything_. She was the reason why both Johnny and he were able to go home without getting fully drenched.

“I don’t know yet, but I’ll think about it and let you know next week,” said the brunet as they stopped by the rear entrance of Johnny’s student apartment. Nodding at the brunet, the taller male waved at his friend and proceeded to run inside, probably praising whatever God was out there for the sudden warmth that engulfed him.

Unlike Jaehyun, whose unfortunate reality was that of having to walk a few more blocks to reach his own apartment, Johnny was probably unlocking his door and getting out of his semi drenched clothes.

That lucky giant.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, the brunet turned on his heels and kept walking down the alley, almost scoffing when he spotted a few students taking pictures of themselves from the rear entrance of their complexes. Not that Jaehyun cared, but he was sure he’d be looking for a way to stay indoors and as far away from the rain as possible. Nothing against it, but he wasn’t about to get sick either.

Picking up his pace, the brunet came to an unexpected stop as he heard muffled sounds coming from one of the dumpsters, for it was creating a contrast with that of the water splashing around. He scanned his surroundings momentarily, but after a few seconds he shrugged them off and proceeded to start walking again. However, the muffled sounds didn’t stop. The closer get got to the dumpster, the louder they’d become. And upon a closer inspection as well as paying extra attention, the brunet managed to _finally_ distinguish the sounds from that of the pouring rain.

Someone was crying. 

The sobs being emitted into the rain could not be fully disguised, which further confused Jaehyun. There were no kids around the area (that he knew of), yet the high pitch sobs undoubtedly belonged to a child. He could have kept walking straight and completely disregarded them, blaming the rain for muffling and merging all sounds alike together into one.

But he didn’t. 

If anything, the older boy was rather torn in between following his moral beliefs and finding the child that seemed to be suffering (based on the heartbreaking sobs), or walking to the comfort of his home where the rain wouldn’t drench him any longer.

“I must be going crazy,” murmured the elder to himself as he made a detour from his original path towards the obnoxious orange dumpster located underneath a lamp post. Every step he took sent a wave of adrenaline down his body to get him ready for whatever was about to come. The closer he got to the dumpster, the louder the sobbing would get, and for a second the brunet hesitated on whether he really wanted to find the source of the cries.

A medium sized box was left to drench under the rain, turning the carton box into a pile of useless paper that was yet to completely fall apart. Only that such thing wouldn’t happen, Jaehyun noticed, for there was something inside the box keeping whatever was left of it together. The brunet was officially terrified to check what was inside, or rather _who_ was inside. And how could he not be terrified? If there was a child inside, the most obvious choice would be to contact the local authorities. But why would someone be irresponsible enough to do such thing to a kid? Once he checked the inside of the box, there would be no way back. He’d probably be forced into filling a report and to spend the night at the police station waiting to be interrogated whilst he took care of a child—and needless to say, he had _no experience_ whatsoever with children.

His five-year-old nephew didn’t count. His brother didn’t visit constantly when he lived with his parents, hence his lack of experience with children.

But he also couldn’t leave one out there whilst the rain was pouring. It went against everything he had been taught and everything he considered morally appropriate.

_Screw it. I’ll just skip class tomorrow if I must._

Opening the side folds of whatever was left of the box, the brunet didn’t find a regular child crying over being lost and scared. A normal kid would have been easy to deal with compared to _this._

Inside the box, he found a tiny cat hybrid that was hugging its tail for dear life as he shook in fear (and probably cold) now that he had been found. With fluffy ears pressing against his smaller head, the hybrid sobbed harder once the made eye contact with the human staring down at him. Closing his eyes and pressing his fists against his eyes, the younger boy’s sobs grew louder out of fear of being punished, or so Jaehyun assumed given the sudden fright flashing through the eyes of the pitiful creature. Its tail wasn’t long enough to wrap around his middle protectively, but that did not stop him from attempting to do so.

It was quite the scenario Jaehyun had _never_ imagined himself in.

And he was not about to stop for a second to think about what happened to the younger. Effortlessly and unannounced, the brunet lifted the hybrid from the box, bringing the drenched little thing closer to his body as he protectively wrapped an arm around the younger’s smaller frame to somewhat offer some sort of body heat. The tiny cat was shivering after all, and the elder was not about to stop and think about his actions. He’d do what he thought was right regardless of whether the hybrid felt comfortable or not. The answer was rather obvious, and even though he was in no position to take care of a hybrid, the least he could do was make sure that he had a shelter until the rain stopped.

Thus, turning on his heel and making his way back to his own apartment, the brunet sped up and walked down the alley until he finally reached his own student apartment, nearly breaking the glass door as he walked in and probably leaving a trail of water drops down the corridor from the back entrance of the complex to the front entrance of his unit.

The apartment was cold. He had forgotten to close to the window prior to leaving that morning, causing him to frown as he eyed the drenched curtains and wet spots all over his carpet. He should have checked the weather like he did every bloody morning, but he had overslept and had barely made it to class on time. 

Disregarding the fact that he’d have to replace the curtains and figure out how to dry his carpet, the elder took the umbrella to the bathroom and left it hanging on the shower rod. With the sobbing hybrid still in his arms, the tired student made his way to the comfort of his bedroom. He pulled out his only extra clean towel from the wall closet as he walked past it from the bathroom, hands already working on stripping the child and getting rid of his drenched clothes.

Thankfully for the elder, the babe seemed to be cooperating. He was allowing Jaehyun to remove his clothes without a problem. If only he could stop sobbing, then everything would be great. But of course the universe didn’t pity him enough to grant him that simple wish. Then again, the child was probably scared. Jaehyun couldn’t bring himself to even blame him or be angry—despite his pounding head and desperate desire to just drop everything and seek the comfort of his bed. 

Hence why, albeit frustrated and nearly ready to snap, the brunet worked on drying him off before things escalated. The last thing he wanted was to spend the night at the Hybrid Urgent Care because of a mere cold that could be avoided. 

But then he saw them.

There were bruises and a few random wounds here and there. Some of them were already dry scars that would definitely not go away, but some of the others seemed to be recent. 

What the hell was going on exactly? Jaehyun’s night had suddenly gone from bad to worse. So he hadn’t only found an abandoned hybrid inside a drenching box and probably left in there to die, but he had just come to the conclusion that the babe was being abused. Yes, kids hurt themselves rough playing all the time, but having so many bruises all at once made no sense. The bruises on his neck and back weren’t caused by a fall. Realistically speaking, how hard do you need to fall to have a forming purple/blue mark on your body? 

And were those cigarette burns on the sole of his feet? 

Jaehyun couldn’t believe it. 

And from the looks of it, the hybrid also sensed the human’s sudden distress, for he started sobbing even harder than before. If Jaehyun was tired and frustrated before, then now he was officially angry. Furious even, for there was absolutely no way he could report the hybrid as lost. If he took the child to a police station, he’d be returned wherever he came from. Probably to a hellish place with monsters that would _continuously_ abuse him and torture until he really ended up dead. This had been a clear attempt at getting rid of him. Maybe they weren’t expecting the babe to be found, or maybe they wanted him to run away on his own accord.

The hybrid was still too young to do anything however, which potentially explained why he was still inside the box in the pouring rain.

Humans were the worst.

The student pulled out one of his many hoodies from the closet across his bed, not worrying or minding the fact that the child would be swallowed by the fabric. If anything, the extra protection would be better. And much like the student predicted, the child’s petite frame had been fully covered by a black Adidas hoodie he wore frequently when it was slightly too cold. It kept him warm enough during his trips from completely different locations within campus. It’d serve its purpose at keeping the babe warm for the night at the very least.

“Are you hungry? I can’t offer you a home cooked meal, but I have some take-out from last night,” said the elder. The child didn’t bother acknowledging him. He was too busy crying and making himself small enough in the eyes of the human, probably a form of defense mechanism developed due to potential trauma. Jaehyun couldn’t imagine being this frightened. Where did this hybrid come from exactly? What had they done to him? The abuse was more than obvious, but what led to it? And most importantly, how had he even survived?

There were so many questions left unanswered, and the brunet couldn’t even bring himself to force those answers out of the babe. It wasn’t right. He was just a kid.

The elder stood up and turned around momentarily, having already decided to warm up whatever was left of the food so the child could have something to eat tonight. But before he managed to leave the room, he heard the quietest whisper from the babe, causing him to stop almost immediately to pay close attention to whatever he was saying.

“J-Jungwoo. I-I’m Jungwoo.”

It was been almost impossible to hear and even more difficult to distinguish due to the heavy sobbing, but Jaehyun had heard it. 

That was a start. At least he knew the babe’s name. 

Walking out of the room and into the tiny kitchen, the student proceeded to pull out the leftovers from the night before and placed them inside the microwave. Whilst he warmed up the food, Jaehyun thought about the situation all over again. 

Jungwoo, as the hybrid had referred to himself, was _not_ missing. There was no point in reporting him to the police. The next available choice would be a shelter, but those places are just as bad as the foster care system for humans. And why? Because most caretakers take advantage of stray hybrids and use them to lure humans in. In most cases, underage hybrids don’t even get the chance of being adopted and were rather turned into valuable assets to the humans in charged of them.

The world was fucked up and there was so little Jaehyun could do. He was only a student anyway. He was supposed to be worried about his upcoming projects and midterms, not about the well-being of a hybrid that had been left alone to die. And _that_ was the problem with him. His parents were brutal and difficult to live with, but they made sure he was raised well with strong moral beliefs. There was no way he could just leave Jungwoo to die.

Jaehyun let out a sigh of exasperation but proceeded to pull the food out of the microwave anyway. 

Maybe he should take the babe to the animal/hybrid clinic within campus the following day. Maybe Minho could help him out. At this point anything was worth a shot as long as Jungwoo didn’t end up at a police station or a shelter.

Walking back into the room, the brunet found the child asleep. Interestingly enough, in the time Jaehyun was gone—which couldn’t be more than five minutes only, if not less—the little hybrid had crawled into the open closet and had fallen asleep on the floor. The only visible body part were the orange strands that were slightly covered by the hoodie of the sweater, notifying the brunet about the child’s location. 

_He must be tired,_ thought the elder to himself. 

Jaehyun placed the disposable container on the bed momentarily and made his way to the closet. He disturbed the child for a few seconds as he lifted his body off the floor and carried him to the comfort of the bed. He covered the smaller body with the comforter and turned off the light on his way out. He took the container with him and shoved it back inside the fridge, reminding himself that he should leave something to eat for the babe after he wakes up the following morning.

Rubbing his face with his bare hands and staring at the single couch in the living room, the brunet went to close the open window—how had he forgotten to do that in the first place?—before making himself “comfortable" and getting ready to sleep.

He probably wouldn’t get any sleep. He had to be up by seven and then run to his part-time. Luckily for him, he only had a half shift in the morning. That was actually convenient since it meant that he could take the babe to see Minho in the afternoon. 

How had his night turned into this?

Closing his eyes and forcing himself to somehow go to sleep, the brunet made a mental note to not forget to check on Jungwoo before leaving in the morning. He’d leave a note on the table letting him know that he’d be back in afternoon. Just for the sake of not freaking him out at least.

And so he fell asleep, thinking of all the possible scenarios that would come out of their visit to the clinic tomorrow. And what if it didn’t work out? What if Minho couldn’t help them? He would be so screwed.

So damn _screwed_.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun takes Jungwoo to the Vet on campus and they're introduced to the hybrid specialist, a lovely older man whom has worked with plenty of other hybrids throughout his career. Johnny is more supportive about the situation than Jaehyun expected and he realizes he'll need as much help as he can get taking care of Jungwoo, even if his best friend accidentally hurt the babe's feelings and is currently stuck dwelling in guilt.

“So what’s the right thing to do here, Johnny? All I know is that his name is Jungwoo and he was left to die inside a box several hours before the storm. Do you really think that taking him to a shelter is the right thing to do?”

Sighing for what seemed to be the nth time, the brunet walked out of the café along with his taller friend who came to pick him up unannounced. It was not something Johnny did on daily basis, but rather something out of the ordinary that only happened once every blue moon. And the answer was crystal clear to the brunet—he wanted to accompany him to the clinic, as Jaehyun had originally planned to do.

“I’m not saying that taking him to a shelter _is_ the answer. Look at it this way. You found an abandoned hybrid that is unclaimed and pretty much available to become anyone’s property. You can’t possibly keep it. They’re high class breeds created for entertainment purposes and as high class sub-servants shown off to the world under the belief of being dependent of humans—which they are technically, but—"

Jaehyun had had enough. He loved Johnny to death, but he had heard enough.

“Johnny, stop. I’m not planning on keeping him, but before I find him a better home I need to get him checked first. He’s half cat and I need to make sure he has no form of allergies or potential triggers that can sicken him. I don’t need a sick hybrid under my care,” said the brunet, completely disregarding the looks of disapproval thrown at them for completely stopping in the middle of the sidewalk to argue. Johnny’s point was clear to him: he shouldn’t keep Jungwoo. And Jaehyun wasn’t planning to. He just didn’t want to take the child—because that’s what Jungwoo is, a mere seven-year-old child that was abandoned in the middle of an alley—to a shelter where he knew he’d be left to rot inside a cage as a display creature to attract attention. There was no way a shelter would even _consider_ getting rid of a hybrid.

“Look man, I just don’t want you to give the hybrid any hope about keeping him. If he was abandoned as you suspect, then it won’t be weird if he sees you as his next potential owner. And then what? You give him up and he goes back to square one where he’ll become confused as to why his owner got rid of him _again_. It won’t be fair to him. Do you see my point?”

Yes, he did. He understood his friend’s concern and he appreciated it. He was looking out for Jungwoo and for him as well, which said a lot considering Johnny was not one to butt in other people’s business. But Jaehyun had to find the right owner for Jungwoo one way or another. Giving him to a shelter or an adoption center wasn’t an option. The hybrids that went to those places were stuck there permanently as some sort of attraction to bring the humans over. In other cases, they kept the hybrids as sub-servants that worked in exchange of somewhere to live. Typically, they babysit in orphanages and become caretakers of the animals at the shelters, or so Jaehyun had heard.

That was not the future he wanted for the babe.

“Maybe Minho can tell us what to do? I mean he is Ruby's vet after all. He probably won’t know much about hybrids, but I know his mentor is someone who also specialized in hybrid breeding, or so he’s told Taeyong,” said the brunet, pushing the glass door open to enter the apartment complex. He went up the stairs to the third floor with his friend trailing after him until they reached his unit. As Jaehyun pulled out his keys from inside his backpack, Johnny leaned against the wall and watched his friend’s every move. “How about we—“ Johnny’s trail of thoughts was interrupted by Jaehyun’s face of disbelief, for the male had closed the door after stepping inside and had walked into the living room only to pace around frantically with his best friend at his tail.

And how could he not be freaking out? He had left Jungwoo sleeping on the couch early in the morning on a pile of pillows and comforters as to ensure he’d be comfortable enough, much like the past few nights.

Originally, the plan had been to take the child to vet the day after he was rescued, but work had been hectic and he ended up nearly missing one of his deadlines at school, which led to their vet appointment being postponed for the next three days. For the past three days they had been together, Jaehyun learned a few things about Jungwoo. The main one being his absolute hatred for showers. The babe had made it rather _obvious_ that he wasn’t happy with the idea of showering daily but he still complied and, albeit disgruntled, submitted himself through the pain of doing as he was told.

Jaehyun told himself he’d come up with a way to somehow help the babe to come into terms with water in general, but that was not his main priority at the moment.

Which led to this precise moment, for he couldn’t find said child anywhere. He had walked into an empty living room with the abandoned pile of comforters and pillows left behind on the couch and with the window wide open for anyone to come in—only that such thing _wouldn’t_ happen because he lived on the third floor and the window had a screen protector that was very much still in place. The door was still locked and Jungwoo had no keys to the house, therefore he was still somewhere inside.

But in situations where a child is left at home unattended for a few hours and the adult (or so Jaehyun liked to think of himself) comes back to an empty place, logic is discarded out the window and replaced with the most negative thoughts that could possibly exist; Jaehyun’s being the thought of Jungwoo being kidnapped or running away whilst he’s busy working or in class.

But with Johnny at his tail, running into his room and barely scanning the inside to check for the hybrid, only to run out to check the bathroom afterwards, Jaehyun missed the look of confusion his taller friend sent him. Not bothering to even follow the brunet anymore, the dark-haired male opened the sliding door of his best friend's closet, smiling to himself when he found the orange haired hybrid curled into a ball inside on the floor.

The apartment was hot, and the floor seemed to be cool enough for the babe to want to lie down.

“Johnny! Jungwoo is gone. I can’t—”

“Please shut up. He’s asleep inside the closet. Stop being so loud,” said the taller male, taking his time to lift up the child off the floor and carrying him towards the conjoined kitchen and living room where Jaehyun (much quietly now) was waiting and observing the scene.

He was worried. He had just found Jungwoo three days ago, yet he felt like he was going crazy after not seeing the child on the couch where he had left him. Jaehyun wasn’t heartless, but he wasn’t a sentimental person either. He only showed concern whenever his nephew or Taeyong’s dog, Ruby, were involved. But to lose his cool over a hybrid he barely knew anything of was almost unbelievable to him. 

_It’s because he’s a child and all alone,_ he thought to himself, but maybe deep down he knew it wasn’t just that. In a way, he pitied the younger boy. It wasn’t Jungwoo's fault to have been bred into a world sadistic enough to only want him for display, and even that was out of the question now. They had abandoned him for a reason that Jungwoo was yet to reveal, but did Jaehyun really want to know? Did the child even know why he had been abandoned?

Turning around and walking towards his discarded backpack on the floor, the brunet pulled out his cellphone from one of the small compartments. He checked the side pocket of his jeans to make sure his wallet was there, otherwise the trip to the vet would be pointless. Letting out a sigh of exasperation, the nineteen-year-old walked to the front door and unlocked it, picking up his forgotten keys along the way and holding the front door open for his friend and the hybrid he was carrying, completely disregarding the way in which the younger seemed to be clinging onto his friend’s jacket for dear life even in his state of unconsciousness. 

Yes, Jungwoo was a child. He was half cat but a child nonetheless. Jaehyun couldn’t help but wonder why someone would abandon him. It was an inhumane thing to do, but was there any humanity left anyway? Jungwoo had been bred with a purpose, and yet as soon as such purpose was fulfilled, or perhaps even discarded, they had gotten rid of him.

“You don’t have to carry him, Johnny. I can do it,” said the brunet, stretching his arms out ready to accept the hybrid. Surprisingly, his friend didn’t bulge. He only shook his head and kept walking ahead towards the dorm’s waiting platform where the shuttle would pick them up and take them to their university village. The local vet clinic was on purposely located there for the local neighbors to visit as well for the students that were looking for some guidance in animal health and hybrid studies.

Quite funny since Jaehyun had only ever come because of Ruby when he accompanied Taeyong for her general check-ups. Fast-forward a few months later and now he’s visiting because of a homeless hybrid he found in an alley in the middle of a storm. Things did change in a matter of hours and Jaehyun couldn’t believe his situation yet. Nevertheless, he didn’t have the time to question his miserable luck. He had other things to think about, such as what would happen if Minho’s mentor couldn’t help them with Jungwoo’s situation? Or better yet, what if he couldn’t find the man? Not that he had passed away, but Minho mentioned that he was planning to retire. It had been quite a while since Minho had spoken to Taeyong about the middle-age man and, much like his current situation, things change in a matter of months.

Stepping into the shuttle with all the other students, the brunet found an available seat and made his best friend sit down since he was the one carrying Jungwoo. He disregarded the looks of curiosity that other students were throwing at them and simply watched as Johnny playfully disturbed the child’s slumber. He watched as the male poked the kitten’s cheeks, immediately getting a retaliation from the babe who scrunched his nose in annoyance at the other’s disturbance. His taller friend proceeded to repeat the same action repeatedly until the child let out a whine of frustration that didn’t go unnoticed by the brunet. It was then that Jaehyun playfully hit the taller man on the shoulder as a cue for him to stop.

Little by little, the shuttle eventually reached the university village where half of the students still in the shuttle decided to get off. With students and regular civilians walking up and down, and cars not-so-patiently forcing themselves to yield to the the traffic regulations and pedestrians for the sake of avoiding going to jail, the noise coming from every direction was enough to wake up the babe.

And what a surprise he had when he opened his doe eyes and found himself in the arms of a stranger whom he had never seen before.

Squirming nonstop to get himself away from the stranger, the babe’s eye watered as he felt the iron grip of the human and merely sent Jaehyun a pleading look. The brunet, however, smiled to himself and stroked the child’s orange strands which immediately made the younger relax in Johnny’s hold.

“We’re taking you for a quick check-up, Jungwoo. We’ll go back home as soon as we’re done. I promise.”

Nodding in understanding (albeit unhappy) the child tried his best to not squirm on the adult’s hold, almost pretending to be a doll as he tried his best to ignore the looks of curiosity and surprise coming from several other people around them. Neither Jaehyun nor the male carrying him seemed to be too concerned about the current situation, thus the babe tried his best to disregard everyone else around him as well. Such mission, however, seemed to be impossible given the indiscreet murmurs coming from other humans around him.

It seemed to him like his past was catching up to him again despite how badly he wanted to forget it.

“You said you made an appointment, right? You take care of Jungwoo and I’ll go sign us in,” said the dark-haired male as he handed over the child. Once in Jaehyun’s arms, the brunet looked around the empty waiting room and sat down in one of the many available seats. He sat the child right beside him where he could keep an eye on him.

Jungwoo seemed to be mesmerized by the interior design of the clinic. The inside was painted in several shades of pastel blues that contrasted with the white ceiling and hardwood floor. There were posters of the anatomical structures of dogs and cats along with several other posters that likewise contained the anatomical structures of hybrids. In the far left side of the clinic was a fancy-looking desk with a fine-looking young man going over paper work and constantly checking the screen of his laptop. It somewhat reminded the babe of his father’s working office and with this sudden knowledge, the child couldn’t help but to feel the anxiety he was well familiar with creeping in despite knowing his father was nowhere close to him.

“Have you ever been to a vet before, Jungwoo?” asked the brunet, catching the child’s attention right away. Shaking his head at the elder, the child’s eyes wandered back to the walls with the pretty pictures of dogs he had never been allowed to touch before. But that was to be expected. He was half cat after all. His nanny always said that dogs were not to be trusted, especially when left unattended with young kittens such as himself. Jungwoo still didn’t understand it. There was nothing wrong with puppies. He loved puppies but he was never allowed to get close to any of his father’s dogs. At the end, they all grew up to be vicious and mean. Playing with them was a privilege he never had when they were young, and getting close to them now as grown dogs wasn’t an option anymore. Not unless he wanted to be ripped to shreds, or so his nanny had told him.

“This vet is not like the typical vet that checks out animals. We call them vets because, much like regular vets, they oversee the health of dogs, cats, and other animals if it’s within its scope of practice. The vet you’ll meet today, however, specialized in hybrid breeding. He is someone whose experience mainly involves treating other hybrids. He’s the equivalent of a pediatrician and regular physician in human terms.”

Nodding at the elder, the child went back to observing his surroundings once again. He had never gone to the hybrid vet before. His nanny had been the one to always take care of him. Whether it was a fever or a tummy ache, his nanny had been the one to take care of him. His father was not the typical loving father who’d waste his precious time trying to calm down his crying son, if he even saw Jungwoo as one. The kitten couldn’t even recall a single moment in which the man had tried to embrace him with love and affection. He received more affection from his mother—whom only spent time with him several times a month whenever his father was not around—than his own father. Unless it was to hurt him, of course.

“Jaehyun, we’re ready to go in,” said Johnny, pulling the babe out of his own thoughts unexpectedly. Nodding at his friend, the brunet took the child’s hand in his and led them to the inside of the clinic. Minho was standing at the end of the left hallway, waving at the two students he had met years ago when he had just gotten accepted into vet school. Smiling at their older friend, Johnny threw himself against Minho, earning himself a groan from the elder given the obvious difference in height. Minho was buffer but Johnny was slightly taller.

“Minho, this is Jungwoo. He’s the cat hybrid I talked to you about.”

Crouching on the floor to be at eye-level with the babe that was desperately hiding behind Jaehyun whilst simultaneously holding onto the back of his sweater, the older male couldn’t help but to smile to himself. Jungwoo was by far the youngest hybrid he had ever seen before. Given the fact that he didn’t specialize in hybrid breeding, most hybrids he had the chance to meet in the past were already grown adults or at least at their late teenage years. Compared to all those experiences, Jungwoo was nothing but a baby. He was a mere child terrified of other strangers and the thought of the babe going through serious hardships at his young age made him feel sympathy towards the hybrid.

“Hello there, Jungwoo. My name is Doctor Choi, but you can just call me Minho. I am a veterinarian and I will be escorting you and these two guys to my mentor. His name is Doctor Lee. He is very excited to meet you today.” Unable to see the babe’s expression due his shyness, the doctor smiled to himself once again and stood up properly. He turned around and motioned for the other two to follow him. 

With the babe holding onto the back of his sweater for dear life, the brunet led him through the hallway until they reached the very last room at the end. The very visible “Lee 3” on the wall gave Jaehyun a sense of relief, for it probably meant it was an examination room that was only used by Minho's mentor. 

And once inside, the students and the child were greeted by the sight of a man in his late fifties looking over a file with empty forms and charts. The room was bigger than they had imagined. It was equipped just like a regular doctor’s office, but the difference was the desk that held an old school computer in the far corner. There was a bookshelf filled with anatomy and pathophysiology books along with an endless amount of files that Jaehyun assumed belonged to his patients.

Would Jungwoo's file be part of that bunch?

“Doc, my friends are here. The ones I told you about today.” Looking up from the chart he was holding, the lovely man flashed them a smile and welcomed them into the room immediately. He asked Minho to get his two special nurses (the ones trained to help him with his hybrid patients on daily basis) into the room and Minho did as he was told, immediately realizing that the child would be put through some quick testing and a potential physical exam as well. Minho hoped Jaehyun and Johnny were ready for the upcoming tantrum they'd witness, for the hybrid was far too young to receive shots without fighting.

Doctor Lee stretched his hand and Jaehyun didn't hesitate to take it, shaking it lightly and then giving back his attention to the frightened babe hiding behind him. All it took was one look at the orange-haired babe to have him shaking in fear, attempting his best to make himself smaller in the presence of the elder. Johnny, realizing that Jungwoo was frightened, pulled the child closer to his body, not minding the way in which Jungwoo wrapped himself around him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Clearly, unlike Jaehyun who had no experience with kids, Johnny at least was used to his boyfriend's younger brother's playful nature, giving him the upper hand in the current situation whilst his friend stared at him in confusion.

It clearly pays off when you date someone with a younger brother.

Chuckling at the scene, the doctor went around his desk and crouched down to be at eye-level with the babe. He then smiled at the child and stretched out his hand. Jungwoo, however, rejected the peace treaty and tried his best to further hide from the doctor.

"Let me see you, son. Don't be scared. I want to make sure you're okay," said the doctor, offering the babe another genuine smile that _somehow_ lured the babe to come out from his "hiding" spot, letting go of Johnny momentarily as he gave in and took the elder's stretched hand.

And from then and on, the process went rather smoothly. Too smoothly for it to be normal, Jaehyun thought to himself. 

The nurses that came into the room did their job, only that the child showed no _immediate_ reaction to any of the lab work performed. He teared up when the needle was inserted into his porcelain skin, causing the pearl crystal liquid to roll down his little cheeks whilst his blood was being withdrawn. But much to everyone's surprise, there were no screams and no tantrum. The nurses, much like the doctor, seemed concerned over the babe's unnatural reaction, proceeding to keep on doing their job instead and exchanging a few looks of concern amongst themselves.

The doctor then asked the child for permission to remove his clothing, to which the babe had merely nodded in response. He then performed a quick physical examination that left Jaehyun and Johnny speechless, for they couldn't tell if the doctor was surprised by the bruises and wounds on the babe's body or whether he was ignoring them on purpose. Whatever the reason was, both students watched as the elder checked the babe's blood pressure and any potential breathing abnormalities in the process.

Once he was done, he requested the nurses to perform several diagnostic exams and to create a file with Jungwoo's information. Johnny volunteered to go with the babe, surprised by the way in which Jungwoo hadn't hesitated to take his hand as they left the room and followed the nurses further into clinic. Johnny could tell Doctor Lee wanted to say something, but if there was someone who had to listen to whatever he had to say it was Jaehyun. Not Johnny, not Minho—the male had walked back into the room with his mentor right after the physical examination ended—and not the nurses performing the diagnostic exams. It was Jaehyun and Jaehyun alone, for he had been the one to take his time to come to the clinic and check on the hybrid.

Quite frankly, Johnny was surprised. Jaehyun was solemnly dedicated to his studies. He lived a stereotypical college life, mostly consisting of lack of sleep due to deadlines and his part-time (which could almost be considered a full time given the amount of time he spent at that bloody café) job but overall predictable. Jungwoo's sudden arrival in his otherwise daily routine had been the most uncalled for event in _everyone's_ lives, and by everyone he meant those close to him—Johnny, Doyoung, Ten, and even Taeyong. Hence why, despite having other things to do, such as completing the deadline he had coming up that night, Johnny found himself at the vet with his best friend. And why? Because Jaehyun was refusing to give up Jungwoo to a shelter. And in Johnny's opinion, that was the only reasonable thing to do really. But three days had gone by and Jaehyun still hadn't given up Jungwoo. 

Johnny knew the brunet was stubborn, but this was a whole new level he hadn't seen before.

Once alone with the doctor, the elder shared a look of concern with Minho. Both males seemed to be having a telepathic conversation and it caused the young student to feel a wave of nervousness. Whatever the doctor was about to say, Jaehyun could already tell he wouldn't like it.

"Son, I don't know if you're aware of this but that little hybrid you saved could have died all alone. So before anything else, I want to thank you and applaud your gesture of generosity. I'm sure Jungwoo would be dead if it weren't for you," said the elder, causing Jaehyun so swallow the lump in his throat whilst the elder fixed his posture and removed his glasses. He placed them on top of his desk and rubbed his eyes momentarily before continuing, "I'm sure you can tell he was abused. The bruises and scars are the biggest giveaway. I'm not sure how long this went on for, but definitely long enough for him to be carrying scars with him."

Well then. His assumption was right all along. The babe had been physically abused and definitely left to die alone. To a certain extent, Jaehyun was glad he had found the babe. Had it been anyone else, they would have taken him to the nearest police station and call it a night. But he hadn't done that and he was glad. Now that he had a professional opinion in regards to the babe, Jaehyun felt better about himself for keeping the child with him for the past three days. At least he knew he was the good guy and not the bad one, for the babe was not missing and there was no one expecting him to come back. But then the realization of Jungwoo being homeless pulled on the strings of his heart.

Jaehyun felt for others. Just because he didn't meddle in anyone else's business didn't mean he had no heart. It's quite the opposite.

"I know you have good intentions and you're just trying to help, but you can't keep him."

The young student blinked several times in confusion and then forced himself to finally speak.

"I—That was not my plan. I'm only a student and there's no way I can provide for him. I can barely provide for myself but—" Jaehyun got cut off by Minho momentarily.

"It's not about providing for him, Jae. It's much _more_ than that. Jungwoo is a kid still, which means he's still growing and requires mandatory _attention_. He requires _affection_ and, not to be mean, you're not the most affectionate one out there. You have a soft side, yes, but Jungwoo is a kid. He's more needy than regular human kids. The fact that he's already so emotionally detached from everyone is already concerning. The most emotion I've seen from him has been when he and Johnny walked out of here, and that's because he was too frightened to go with the nurses alone. You're _not_ ready for this, Jaehyun. Not you, not Johnny, not any of your friends. Finding a good owner for him will be hard. You cannot get attached to him, Jae. It'll be hard. Believe me, getting attached to hybrids is normal due to their loving nature, but you're in no position to get attached."

Well that was a lot to take in.

Jaehyun hadn't even been given the chance to process anything before the doctor spoke again.

"Hybrids are not considered individuals, Jaehyun. They're considered _properties_ by the law and by society as a whole. In fact, the nature of hybrids is so sick and twisted that you wouldn't believe me if I went into details about it. Jungwoo's birth, I can't tell you whether it was naturally or not, but he's already at risk. There are plenty of people out there willing to adopt homeless hybrids into their families because they genuinely like them. But there are a lot of evil people out there who abuse their power and use these creatures for _alternative_ motives. The fact that Jungwoo was already being physically abused despite his age is convincing me that he was potentially bred by humans. I work with an organization that specializes in helping young hybrids to find a home, whether it's with humans willing to take them in or amongst their own kind despite the public objection. If you give me some time, I _might_ be able to help you find a home for him. It'll take quite some time, yes, but I have managed to help lots of other hybrids in his position. Definitely not as young, so the process will be longer and more difficult, but we can do it. If you're willing to keep fostering him for a little while longer, I can help you."

Jaehyun didn't even need to think about it. He agreed to do so right away. He had already been with the child for the past three days and he was far from problematic. If anything, the babe's cat genes were more prominent than his human genes, for he spent quite a portion of his day sleeping. The only problem he's had so far has been convincing the babe to shower, but even that's understandable.

Much like Johnny had mentioned earlier, keeping Jungwoo was never an option. In fact, fostering him for the time being was not exactly something he even considered, but he figured sheltering the child temporarily was better than permanently. It's not like he had a choice anymore; he had already agreed to keep him for a while, but that meant that a lot needed to change. For instance, Jungwoo needed clothes. There was no way he could keep using Ten's younger brother's clothes. Yangyang, a whole ten-year-old, was much bigger than Jungwoo in terms of height and body proportions. Jungwoo would most definitely need a bed, although Jaehyun was more than fine taking the couch. Maybe he should purchase a twin size mattress for himself instead. 

And just like that, the young student was already stressing over the next upcoming expenses, because more expenses meant more time at work. More time at work meant less time to study. And more time away from home meant that Jungwoo would be alone most of the time. And whilst the elder wasn't concerned about the hybrid doing something potentially dangerous, he was concerned about his mental state.

So much time alone couldn't be good for him.

At the end, Doctor Lee and Minho agreed to keep in contact with him, reminding the brunet to come back in two weeks to get the test results and to start with Jungwoo's vaccinations.

On the way back home, Jaehyun noticed that the babe was quite attached to his best friend, for the child had been holding the elder's hand since the moment they left the clinic. He had completely disregarded Jaehyun as he walked out to the front and paid for the consultation, not once bothering to let go of Johnny whilst they walked down the sidewalk and into the village. And now that they were walking home (blame the shuttle for taking fifty years to arrive late in the afternoon) he had refused to let go of the elder's hand altogether despite having been clinging onto Jaehyun earlier on. And by the looks of it, Johnny didn't seem to mind either. 

Maybe his best friend could babysit the babe from time to time when Jaehyun wasn't available.

"You look constipated," said Johnny, earning himself a chuckle from the brunet whilst they made a quick detour and stopped at a target on the plaza near the medical school building entrance. Jaehyun had refused to speak about whatever he and Dr. Lee talked about with the child around, hence why he agreed to send him a long, well elaborated text giving him details about the conversation later on tonight. Johnny had nodded right away and dropped the topic immediately. Now, however, he had questions. Plenty of questions. 

"Why are we here?"

The brunet walked ahead of the other two, for Johnny tried his best to match Jungwoo's slower pace as he kept reminding himself his legs were much longer than the child's. By the time the two of them caught up with Jaehyun in the body hygiene isle, the brunet was busy staring at the several different scented bubble baths. Was that weird? Yes, it was. Jaehyun didn't take baths. Not because he hated them, but rather because he wasn't fond of the idea of soaking in his own body filth. That was quite the pessimistic view, but Johnny had never questioned him. There were plenty of things Jaehyun severely disliked, but Johnny learned to just accept his odd ways through the years. So yes, imagine his shock when he found his best friend, the biggest anti when it came to baths, staring at the different scented bubble baths.

He almost couldn't believe it.

"Jaehyun, why are we checking out bubble bath?"

The male in question smiled to himself momentarily and proceeded to pick up the strawberry scented bottle, uncapping it momentarily to sniff it. He then crouched on the ground to be at eye-level with the babe and encouraged Jungwoo to smell the bottle he had chosen.

"Do you like it?" asked the brunet, earning himself a quick nod from the babe and a confused look from his best friend.

"Jungwoo doesn't like showers. We had a few instances where he was dreading the idea of showering, hence why I decided to introduce him to baths. It won't be an everyday thing, but more like a reward in exchange of him showering on daily basis," said the brunet, earning himself a look of perplexity from Johnny and a confused one from the babe.

Had Jungwoo never taken a bath before?

Disregarding the other two, the brunet made a beeline for the register and paid for the bubble bath. The other two followed along until they reached the student complexes and it was Johnny's turn to leave. He patted the child's head affectionately and ruffled his orange strands, causing the babe's kitty ears to flicker momentarily as the babe leaned closer and into the elder's touch. He unconsciously let out a purr that caused the human to stop his administration, leading to the child's realization that he had screwed up. He had allowed his cat genes to take full control of him momentarily, sending a wave of emotional distress that had Jungwoo nearly crying in anger.

His mommy told him to never purr around humans. She told him purring around humans makes them uncomfortable, a theory ironically proven true by Johnny and the way he had gasped momentarily after the babe had exposed himself.

 _Bad kitty,_ Jungwoo scolded himself. 

And it was in the midst of the child's internal debate that Johnny realized he had screwed up. He wasn’t scared of Jungwoo. He was merely surprised. He was not expecting the babe to start purring out of nowhere, which clearly caused him to stop his administration out of fear of potentially hurting the babe. Given the way in which Jungwoo seemed to be internally beating himself over it, however, the elder merely continued petting the child the way he had previously done so, watching the confusion flashing through his eyes as he stared at the taller male in disbelief.

"There's nothing wrong with purring, Jungwoo. It's in your nature after all. I think it's endearing," said the elder, silently asking Jaehyun to back him up on this. The last thing they needed was for the babe to start crying out of nowhere. Luckily for him, Jaehyun caught up with his silent plea as he nodded and agreed with Johnny right away. Jungwoo nodded at the other two but still managed to _somehow_ stop himself from purring around the two humans again, mentally praising himself for having more control over his instincts this time.

Johnny, however, couldn't help feeling guilty. The last thing he wanted was to make the babe feel uncomfortable around him. He had screwed up big time and had absolutely no idea how to fix it.

"Jungwoo, let's go home. I'll show you something interesting," said the brunet, immediately catching the child's attention as he nodded and agreed to comply. They both waved at Johnny—the kitten hadn't even tried making eye-contact with the elder, pulling on Johnny's heartstrings and further fueling his feelings of guilt—and proceeded to walk away.

Maybe the bubble bath would make the babe feel better. After all, Johnny would have plenty of chances to make it up to the babe now that he was staying with Jaehyun temporarily. That should be reassuring to some extent, right?


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaehyun successfully manages to finish whatever is left of the semester. Unfortunately, his hard work and effort come with a price, for he ends up disregarding the babe's presence for the sake of work and school. Somewhere along the lines, however, he makes a few discoveries that can only be described as disturbing and concerning, leading to the sudden realization that maybe, just maybe, Jungwoo needs more help than he expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the end of this chapter, I used the term "bear-cat" to describe Jungwoo, but that term refers to his sleeping outfit. Jungwoo is a full cat hybrid, just in case I confuse anyone lol.

**Warning** : Mentions of abuse, reference to violence, implication of homicide

Baths turned out to be a success with the babe.

Jungwoo, as expected, was not fond of the idea of submerging himself in a tub filled with water. But like the easily-impressed child he is, Jaehyun managed to playfully lure him into the water by playing with the superficial, strawberry-scented foam. And really, Jaehyun found more amusement in the way in which Jungwoo nearly face planted in the tub as he tried reaching out for more foam to play with. Nothing happened however. Jaehyun was there to save him from a potential accident, one bound to end up in tears and endless sobs.

It was already the middle of spring and the weather was progressively getting hotter and hotter, but that did not stop the babe from changing the water temperature from cold to warm. And interestingly enough, despite Jaehyun being aware that warm water was bound to have the babe sweating at some point, he was proven _wrong_ and was instead mesmerized by the effect of the warm water on the babe—a soothing effect from the looks of it, for the brunet witnessed the orange haired kitten purring to himself whilst he basked in the comfort provided by the water on his delicate skin.

Perhaps they needed to explore more different scents, otherwise the babe was bound to get bored eventually. Needless to say, the elder had figured out a way to get the kitten to take daily showers. Yes, bribery worked wonders on his five-year-old nephew, and Jungwoo was _not_ much different from the kid.

_“Let’s make a deal. You’ll get baths on the weekends in exchange of showering during the week.”_

And just like the that, the babe had completely given in. And how could he possibly let this opportunity go? He was going to get a strawberry scented bath twice in a row in exchange of suffering everyday for a total of ten to fifteen minutes only.

It was definitely a deal he couldn’t reject.

If anything, it was easier for Jaehyun to bribe the kitten given his easy-going personality. Compared to the obnoxious five-year-old rugrat who came home everyday now, or so his brother had told him, Jungwoo was quiet and hardly asked for anything. In the past few days they’d been together, Jaehyun didn’t see any major changes in his life. Other than the new financial responsibilities that came along with the realization of fostering the babe, Jungwoo _hardly_ asked for anything.

It was both refreshing and concerning.

Stripping the kitten off his oversized shirt—and respecting the babe's privacy by turning his head as he removed his undergarment—the elder helped him to get into the already prepared tub. The water was warm, just like he wanted it, and the sweet scent of the bubble bath used was filling up the entire bathroom. The babe smiled momentarily as he allowed the sweetness to penetrate his nostrils, his fluffy ears perking up in excitement at the comforting feeling of the water engulfing him completely.

The purring came out naturally.

The same purring that had caught him and Johnny off guard two days before.

“Call me when you’re ready to come out. I’ll leave the door open so I can hear you,” said the brunet, earning himself a nod from the kid as he walked out of the bathroom and into the room again.

And just like every weekend whenever he didn’t have to work, he indulged himself in his upcoming assignments and disregarded the little hybrid for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

“A hybrid? Are you crazy?”

Walking out of class with Doyoung and Yukhei, a friend introduced by Ten, Johnny's boyfriend, the brunet couldn’t help the sigh that got past his lips. This was the same reaction he had gotten from both Johnny and Ten. From the looks of it, Doyoung was virtually just as confused, but kept rather quiet instead as he watched Yukhei freaking out over Jaehyun’s news.

_Here we go again._

“It’s temporary. He’d probably be dead if I had left him there.” Doyoung and Yukhei nodded at their friend, fully understanding where he was coming from and the position he was in.

Clearly, Jaehyun felt somewhat responsible over the kitten. But fostering a hybrid when you’re a university student barely surviving on your own whilst simultaneously drowning in endless work and assignments, the idea of watching over another living thing didn’t sound appealing at all. What was Jaehyun feeding the babe? Did he even have other clothes? And most importantly, how did he watch over him when Jaehyun was constantly rushing in between his part-time job and his classes?

It made no sense. Hybrids were creatures that required attention and affection—the two things Jaehyun lacked and wouldn’t be able to provide. To Yukhei, it felt like he’d leave more scars on the babe than he’d be of any help, regardless of the innocent intentions at helping out.

“How old?” asked Doyoung, speaking for the first time since they left class.

“Seven years old.”

Doyoung puffed his cheeks in sudden surprise as he took in the words of the brunet. Based on this information alone, said hybrid was still a child and far from being able to take care of himself whenever Jaehyun wasn’t around. It’d be difficult to watch over him in such a hectic environment.

Did Jaehyun even inform his parents about said little companion?”

“This isn’t the right environment for him, Jae. We need to find someone willing to take him in. It’s too much responsibility on you alone. I’m willing to help as much as I can, but even if all of us try to help out, we can’t provide the stability he needs. A hybrid is essentially a luxury. We are all busy and far from capable to take responsibility over him,” said Doyoung, and Jaehyun agreed with him. He didn’t intend to keep the babe permanently, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least do his best for now.

At least until the right person arrived. And once they did, Jungwoo’s life would change for the better. Or so Jaehyun hoped.

* * *

The next time Johnny saw the babe, it was time to go pick up his blood results at the clinic. Jaehyun was unfortunately stuck at work covering the remaining of someone else’s shift. With Jungwoo’s unexpected arrival and temporary stay, the brunet figured he couldn’t reject any extra shifts. He had purchased a few extra pillows and a brand new duvet to have on stand-by when winter arrived again. He had also texted his brother and requested for him to send his old inflatable bed to his student complex.

And whilst the elder had questioned his whereabouts and had offered to send him money to buy a new bed, Jaehyun rejected the offer and said the inflatable bed would be enough. After all, Jungwoo was only staying with him temporarily. He had considered buying a small mattress for himself but he figured it’d be a waste. He was required to leave the complex at the end of the school year anyway, so it’d be a waste of time and money. And an inflatable mattress seemed like a better option anyway .

That’s basically how he found himself taking the living room these past few days whilst he let the kitten keep the bed to himself. Although, despite his willingness to let the babe be comfortable, Jungwoo seemed to have developed a more intimate relationship with the closet, for Jaehyun often came home to find him hidden inside. Whether it was a coping mechanism of his after everything he had to put up with at some point, or even a potential hiding spot of comfort for whenever he was alone, Jaehyun never got the chance to find out.

And it wasn’t like he was trying to anyway. The school year was coming to an end rather rapidly, further stressing him as he forced himself to push his body limits at work for the sake of having an outlet to de-stress after classes. Unfortunately, the one suffering the consequences of such decisions was Jungwoo, for he was constantly stuck at home alone for hours.

He woke up alone. Spent the entirety of the day alone. Went to sleep alone most of the time. Occasionally, when Jaehyun walked into the room in the middle of the night to look for a book or to change his clothes, then Jungwoo got a quick peek at the human before the warmth of the bed lured him back to sleep. And then the cycle repeated again the next day.

In the past two weeks he had been home with the elder, the child found himself repeating the same routine over and over again. He spent his afternoons alternating between the human's bedroom and the open window in the living room, eventually retreating to the closet _again_ sometime after sunset as the quietness and the peacefulness surrounding him lured him to dreamland. And from then and on, the rest was always a blur. Jaehyun came home from work and straight to the shower, sliding open his closet to pull out a change of clothes for himself and _always_ finding the kitten asleep inside.

It was becoming a concern.

Today, however, be babe wouldn’t need to be alone.

 _Master_ never came home this early. As soon as he heard the sound of keys fidgeting outside, the babe abandoned the open window for the sake of hiding inside the elder's closet. He shut the sliding doors completely and pressed his body against the wall, wrapping his little arms around his knees and his tiny tail around his waist. His kitty ears were pressed flat against his orange strands, bunny teeth biting onto his lower lip to stop himself from making any noise. Maybe, if he was quiet and pretended to not exist, then the person attempting to break in would go away.

So when the slight knock to the bedroom door resonated around the room, the child brought his hands to his little ears to cover them, shutting his eyes closed and hoping to not be found.

His mind was filled with horrible scenarios, all of which involved his daddy and his men. Maybe his daddy found him again. Maybe his daddy was back and was trying to take him back home where he’d be beaten until his skin started bleeding again. Maybe—

“Jungwoo?”

Maybe—

“Kitten, where are you? Jaehyun asked me to pick up your results at the clinic and I came to get you so we can go together.”

Maybe it wasn’t his daddy. Maybe, just maybe, he was still safe.

And was that _master's_ friend? Johnny? The giant who had cradled him in the bus and held him gently in his arms as the nurses gave him shots two weeks ago? The same one he managed to scare with his purrs after he slipped and let his cat instincts take over?

Was he still upset about that slip? Was he here to scream at him and beat him up the way his daddy used to? Why couldn’t he be a good boy like his nanny liked him to be? Why did he keep slipping and letting his cat instincts overpower his human instincts? Why did he make everyone upset? Why—

The doors to the closet slid open unexpectedly, causing the babe to jump in surprise momentarily at the overpowering frame of the human standing outside.

“There you are, Kitten. Come out. Let’s go on an adventure!”

He didn’t seem upset.

Johnny, dressed up in an oversized purple sweater and a black pair of jeans, resembled a giant teddy bear. His smile was bright and contagious, causing the babe’s lips to tug upward momentarily. Maybe Johnny wasn’t upset anymore. Maybe, just maybe, Jungwoo could redeem himself.

Offering his hand to the adorable creature hiding inside the closet, the elder couldn’t help smiling to himself as the babe debated whether he should take the offered hand or not. After all, Jungwoo wasn’t easily trusting of others. And given the way in which things had come to an end between them two weeks ago, he was probably still dwelling on the incident.

He was not about to let a misunderstanding change the babe’s perspective of him. He wanted Jungwoo to be himself. He wanted him to be comfortable around him, even if he didn’t get to see the kitten as often.

After what felt like ages, the child took the offered hand. The elder smiled at the babe immediately, causing the kitten to look away momentarily as he felt his cheeks burning at the sudden attention.

 _How adorable,_ thought the human to himself, leading the babe to the unmade bed and picking up a forgotten gift bag he brought along. He then handed it over to the child, earning himself a face of confusion from him.

“It’s a gift. Ten and I picked an outfit for you. He wanted to get you something else, but we were kind of running against the clock and didn’t have time to pick more stuff. We can go together after finals. Just bear with us for a few more weeks.”

Jungwoo, albeit in a state of perplexity, accepted the gift bag. His nanny had taught him that leaving others hanging was bad. But the only times he recalled receiving gifts from his daddy weren’t nice memories. Because before he could receive the gifts, the man would make him beg. The gifts never even came from him, but rather his pretty mommy whom absolutely couldn’t see him unless given permission by his daddy. Needless to say, the man made it his job to never let her see him.

Not even when she passed away. Not when he cried. Not when he begged to be with her. Not when his men pushed his nanny off the balcony from—

“Woo? Is something wrong?”

The babe shook his head immediately, stopping himself from crying at the memories of the woman he loved so dearly. Because opening up about it wasn’t an option. Not yet. His current _master_ didn’t seem as horrifying as his daddy, but that did not mean he was willing to showcase all his vulnerabilities. Because this _master_ couldn’t possibly protect him from the monster that was his real father.

He was better off in the dark.

“C-Can Jungwoo open it?”

This was the first time Johnny heard the babe speaking properly. Typically, most of the questions Jaehyun asked could be answered with a simple _yes_ or _no._ To hear the child responding and using words as opposed to head shakes and nods gave Johnny a sense of reassurance.

He referred to himself in third person. For humans, that was odd for someone his age. He wasn’t very sure if that was a normal occurrence for hybrids, but he’d definitely ask Doctor Lee about it.

“Of course. It’s yours, kitten. You don’t need to ask for permission to open a gift. I do _hope_ you like it though,” said the elder, sitting on bed and watching as the babe opened the poorly sealed gift bag. He removed the tissue paper on the surface and put it on the bed momentarily, mentally reminding himself to toss it away in the trash can later.

And then he saw the outfit Johnny was talking about.

He pulled out a pair of pastel pink, short overalls. The metal hooks were replaced with shoulder knots, which Johnny thought were convenient since Jaehyun would be able to adjust them properly so they could fit the babe perfectly. There was also a white, long-sleeved shirt with a snoopy print at the front—ironic really, for Jungwoo was a cat hybrid wearing a shirt with a dog print.

Clearly, neither Johnny nor Ten thought about such technicality prior to purchasing the outfit.

The babe smiled to himself for a moment, truly taken back by the unexpected gift. The color of the overalls was pretty. Almost _too_ pretty. If his daddy had ever given him a chance to learn something trivial and basic, such as the colors or even numbers, he would have been able to pinpoint the shade of the pretty color he was staring at. Unfortunately, he was clueless. But he could _at least_ appreciate the shade.

“There are three more items inside the bag,” said the human, taking the clothes from the babe so he could dig further into the bag.

The child pulled out a pair of white sneakers to match with the outfit—definitely Ten’s doing—with a pink bow on the top. There were no laces. All Jungwoo had to do was slide his foot inside. And really, he was thankful he didn’t have to tie any laces. His nanny never taught him how and his daddy refused to teach him anything remotely beneficial.

So he wouldn’t be able to fend for himself. Because Jungwoo wasn’t supposed to live in the first place. He was supposed to be disposed of after birth.

“Do you like them?”

He did. He liked them a lot. But he couldn’t bring himself to speak. Hence why, instead of using words as Johnny had expected, the babe merely nodded in reassurance.

The elder patted the spot next to him on the bed, encouraging the babe to come closer and to sit down next to him. And Jungwoo complied, occupying the available space to his left as he compared the difference in heights—he couldn’t reach the floor. But Johnny could. He couldn’t help wondering if he’d grow to be just as tall.

The human took one of the shoes from the babe, playfully patting the child’s head and running his fingers through his orange strands, earning himself a smile from the kitten as he crouched on the ground to put the shoes on him. He couldn’t help the chuckle that got past his lips as he compared himself to the poor prince—or was it the butler?—from Cinderella, a fairy tale he was _well_ familiar with since Yangyang owned a whole collection of Disney stories.

“Have you ever heard of Cinderella?”

The child shook his head.

Johnny frowned.

“You’ve never heard the story of Cinderella? The girl who leaves her shoe behind at the ball?”

The babe shook his head again.

Was Jungwoo living under a rock? Or were his parents conservative enough to control the things he could watch based on his gender? Or maybe he just wasn’t fond of princesses at all? Whatever the case may be, Johnny couldn’t believe he had never heard of Cinderella. Maybe he’d have to borrow Ten's Disney plus account so Jungwoo could watch the movie and get familiarized with the Disney princesses.

But not today. Today he had other plans.

He noticed the shoes fit a bit loose. But that was okay. Jungwoo was still growing and chances were he’d be able to fit them properly in a few months.

“There are a few pairs of underwear inside the bag. Ten took an educated guess and hoped for them to be your size. And we also got you some socks so you don’t have to keep wearing Jaehyun’s. They’re ugly and fit you too loose, don’t they?”

Two complete strangers had gotten him clothes and they’d hardly known him for two weeks. His daddy had known him his whole life and he never once bothered checking what he needed. His nanny, with his mother’s help, bought him the essentials he needed despite his father disapproval. He never thought much of it because it was her _job_ to make sure he was fine.

But Johnny, and Ten as well, didn’t owe him anything. It was definitely overwhelming for him to see strangers so _willing_ to do something nice for him with genuine intentions.

So when a couple of tears rolled down his pretty cheeks, the human couldn’t help frowning. Wasn’t Jungwoo happy? Why was he crying? But based on all the experience he had with Yangyang, the taller male pulled the child closer and embraced him tightly. He might not know much about Jungwoo—other than his name and his obvious position—but that didn’t mean he was an insensitive asshole. The child was clearly having a hard time. The least he could do was lend him a shoulder to cry on.

And that’s exactly what Johnny did.

For the next ten minutes or so, the elder sat the child on his lap and embraced him tenderly. He rubbed circles on the kitten’s back, soothing him as much as he could as the sobs filled Jaehyun's tiny room. And it was heartbreaking. Whatever had triggered the child’s sudden reaction was clearly something Jungwoo couldn’t let go of. Since the moment Doctor Lee and Minho confirmed that the babe was being abused, Johnny and Jaehyun agreed to not push the child to open up about whatever life he used to have before.

Which leads to this moment, for all he could do was embrace the kitten as he sobbed his heart out with memories he couldn’t suppress—memories _still_ hunting him despite being in the safety of someone else’s life.

“Do you want to put on your new outfit, Kitten? Let’s go on an adventure together, what do you say?”

With hands wiping his tear stained cheeks, the child couldn’t help forcing himself to smile. Because some things are better off forgotten. Some memories are better off locked away in the deepest part of his subconscious. Because life _must_ go on. His mommy and nanny weren’t coming back. He hoped his daddy wouldn’t find him.

He had to keep living. For his mommy. For himself.

Hence why, nodding at the elder, the child allowed the human to dress him up in the brand new outfit, cheeks turning into a pretty shade of red as the human snapped several photos of the babe in what could _only_ be described as delight.

His boyfriend and him had _definitely_ outdone themselves. Because Jungwoo looked the prettiest in pink and it was a sight _everyone_ deserved to see—Jaehyun included.

* * *

_“Doctor Lee left about an hour ago. He left the results however, so I’ll summarize it for you. Jungwoo doesn’t seem have any major allergies yet based on the allergy test performed. Just like cats, he can’t consume chocolate under any circumstances. Although, hybrids tend to develop allergies depending on environmental exposure. As of now, he’s perfectly healthy.”_

_“Thanks Minho. Any news in regards to his case?”_

_“Not yet. Doctor Lee is still in the process of creating a file for him. It might take a few months given how little we know about him. But he is spreading the news about potential owners looking into adopting a younger hybrid. The potential prospects have to get a background check done and are required to go through a mandatory interview. And from then an on, the rest depends on Doctor Lee and the board. The process will definitely take longer since Jungwoo is still a kid and they can’t take any risks of giving him away to just anyone.”_

_“Those are still good news. It means he’ll have a permanent home sooner or later.”_

_“That’s right. Little Woo will definitely have a more stable home and that’s the ultimate goal. And of course, lots of love and affection from someone who’s willing to finish raising him. It’ll take some time but we’ll get there.”_

_“I have one more question. Jungwoo referred to himself in third person earlier today. Is that a normal occurrence for younger hybrids?”_

_“I can’t say that it’s neither normal nor abnormal. My knowledge is limited in the hybrid spectrum, but I do know that children tend to be heavily influenced by their environment, just like human kids. It could be inflicted behaviour or simply something he picked up on from his previous home. Hybrids that are on purposely bred by humans tend to refer to their owners as masters, although that’s not always the case. It’s quite subjective and it’s something Doctor Lee might be able to give you more details on. I’m afraid I don’t have enough knowledge on the subject to give you a proper answer.”_

_“Do you think we should start correcting him? Speaking in third person is almost like giving his free will and power away to someone else. What if it’s linked to potential trauma?”_

_“Or it could be as simple as him feeling comfortable with that speech. Like I said, hybrids are influenced by the environment they’re exposed to. And for someone past the toddler stage, I think it’d be rather difficult for the habit to die. I’d definitely encourage him to use first person whenever he talks about himself. It’ll take a while but he’ll come into terms with it sooner or later. Don’t scold him. Just correct him.”_

_“Thank you, Minho. I’ll relay the message to Jaehyun when he arrives home.”_

_“Come back if you have any other concerns.”_

* * *

“Did you get the photos I sent you?” asked Johnny, sitting on Jaehyun’s couch and smiling to himself as he stared at the photos he took of the babe earlier. Just like every other bloody day, the nineteen-year-old was unfortunately stuck at work for over eight hours. So much for it being a part-time. Not to mention he was yet to finish some reading for his morning class.

It’d be a long night indeed.

“I did. You guys didn’t have to get him clothes. It’s not your job. I just haven’t found the time to take him shopping,” said Jaehyun, munching on the burger Johnny bought for him. And really, the In-N-Out truck wasn’t an ordinary occurrence in their campus. Of course they had to take advantage of it whenever it came around. Luckily for Jaehyun, his best friend _always_ got his back whenever food was involved.

Jaehyun must have skipped lunch again. He was devouring that double-double as if his life depended on it. Johnny liked to trick himself into believing the younger male took care of himself, but clearly that wasn’t the case. He wasn’t even sure how he was feeding Jungwoo, but those were concerns he couldn’t bring himself to voice out. Jaehyun was already doing enough by fostering the babe. He was doing his best whilst still _somehow_ keeping it together at school and work.

Brownie points to him for all his hard work. Even if Jungwoo spent most of his time locked inside the apartment. At least he wasn’t homeless anymore.

“I know that. But Ten and I had some free time and decided to check out some kiddy clothes for him. He can’t go around wearing Yangyang's clothes anymore. They’re too big on him." Jaehyun hummed in acknowledgement and took another bite of his burger.

Had Jungwoo eaten anything? He left him a muffin and some bottled orange juice he brought back from work the night before. There were still some cup of noodles stashed neatly on the cupboard over the sink. He was starting to get concerned over the sodium quantities however. He’d probably need to consult Doctor Lee about potential foods that he’d need to avoid. He couldn’t afford getting the babe sick.

When he arrived from work, he had found Johnny stroking the younger boy’s orange strands as he hummed the lyrics of Aladdin’s ‘A Whole New World’ for the babe. It was quite a sight he had never seen before, not even with his boyfriend’s younger brother. But it was definitely endearing to watch.

The child fell asleep purring, fluffy ears pressed tenderly over his orange strands and tail resting over his belly. The weather was a little too hot for the babe to be covered, hence why Johnny had merely changed him into a thin long-sleeved shirt (courtesy of Jaehyun’s closet) without any bottoms. From where he was standing, he could see the outline of the child's snoopy boxers, which he was _sure_ were purchased by no one other than Ten.

He’d have to thank him later for helping out with Jungwoo's wardrobe.

Overall, Jaehyun knew he had nothing to worry about. At least not when Jungwoo was with Johnny. He did feel uneasy leaving him behind every morning for the sake of going to class—or even work. As Yukhei and Doyoung said, he was far too young to be fending for himself, especially at an empty apartment with no adult supervision. So far, the babe was doing a good job at not hurting himself whenever he was alone, or so Jaehyun hoped. He never really got the chance to ask.

Jungwoo was _always_ asleep by the time he got home. Waking him up to ask unnecessary questions wasn’t something Jaehyun wanted to do. And the babe probably wouldn’t appreciate being woken up from his peaceful slumber only to be questioned. Jaehyun wouldn’t appreciate it in his position.

“Jungwoo didn’t seem to like burgers by the way.” That pulled Jaehyun out of his momentary reality detachment. “I found out by accident,” said Johnny, earning himself a look of confusion from his friend. “I bought him a burger and he only ate half of it. And the fries, of course."

“Maybe it was too much food.”

Johnny shook his head.

“He said it tasted funny. I asked if he’s ever had a burger before and he said no. I wonder what kind of life he had prior to you finding him.”

Jaehyun did, too. Sometimes, and only when he was still awake at unholy hours studying, the brunet heard little whines and sobs coming from the room where the child was sleeping. The whines were often accompanied by pleas, some of which left Jaehyun dumbfounded. Sometimes he’d hear the child sobbing quietly. But when he went to check if he was alright, he always found him sleeping.

Maybe Jungwoo was being hunted by the memories of his past. Maybe that explained why he always fell asleep early. Maybe he was unconsciously trying to rest before the nightmares started attacking him. But despite this knowledge, Jaehyun refused to bring it up whenever Jungwoo was awake. Not like he had any time to exchange a few words with the child, but he also didn’t want to intrude in his personal life. Because he didn’t know what it was like to be abandoned and left behind with countless memories of what seemed to be an endless hell—one that clearly still hunted him.

But Jungwoo didn’t seem willing to share it. It’s almost as if he wanted to avoid it and pretend like it never happened. And Jaehyun, despite knowing it couldn’t be healthy for him to keep it all in, played along. Because sooner or later he’d open up about it with him.

Until then, all he had to do was turn the other way and pretend like he didn’t witness anything.

“I don’t know how I’ll tell my mom about him. Especially since I’m bound to go back home in the summer.” Johnny chuckled at the brunet's sudden concern.

Yes, Jaehyun’s mom was quite a case.

She was lovely and sweet, and she had done an amazing job at raising Jaehyun and his older brother. But she was far from perfect. She was quite opinionated in certain matters that didn’t settle well with Jaehyun—hybrids being one of them. She agreed with the public opinion and considered them far from being individuals. She considered them pitiful and belittled their existence, often comparing them to the company of an “independent pet.”

When she finds out her son has taken one under his wing, despite fully knowing how she feels about them, it'd surely lead to the third world war. It was quite an upcoming argument he was not looking forward to.

“If that’s your concern, drop him off at my house then. My parents have no issues with hybrids and they’d be more than glad to help out. And I’d also keep an eye on him for you so it’d be a win-win situation.”

That was a nice offer but there were so many things to consider. For instance, it wasn’t Johnny’s job to solve Jaehyun’s problems. He couldn’t rely on his best friend for everything. He was the one who stepped forward and agreed to foster the babe. He couldn’t dump that responsibility onto others, especially Johnny’s parents. The couple was lovely and so welcoming. They’d surely take really good care of Jungwoo.

But Jaehyun couldn’t bring himself to even consider it. It was an unnecessary burden he didn’t want to put on their shoulders.

“I’ll consider it. Thank you for the offer, Johnny. I can’t thank you enough.”

“Don’t sweat it. I told you I’d help in any possible way.”

Jaehyun couldn’t help smiling at the elder. He truly owed his best friend a lot. If it weren’t for him and his support, Jungwoo probably wouldn’t be here with him anymore. He would have easily crumbled under the stress of school and work, potentially leading to a horrible decision he’d regret later on—because it would have been so _much_ easier to take him to a police station and file for a missing hybrid report. And given the babe’s background, he’d probably be dead by now.

But because of Johnny and Ten, and everyone else willing to help out, he found himself finding the strength to keep pushing himself forward whilst simultaneously caring for the child. He owed his friends a lot.

“How did it go with Doctor Lee?”

Johnny smiled at the brunet and told him everything Minho said.

* * *

“This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when you told us about the hybrid,” said Yukhei, eyes nearly bulging out at the sight of the child hiding behind Jaehyun. His fluffy tail, despite how pitiful it looked, wrapped around his middle almost protectively. His ears were pressed against his soft strands, almost blending in with the endless miles of orange bouncing gracefully whenever he moved.

Jungwoo was, well, short. And timid. And very _much_ like a cat.

The child stared at the giant from behind Jaehyun, eyes unable to hold eye-contact with the human out of fear. At nearly the same height as Johnny, the human did not give off the same caring vibe as Johnny. He seemed more playful and outgoing, quite scaring the babe as he noticed the contrast in their personalities.

“What exactly did you have in mind?” Asked Doyoung, almost unable to stop himself from chuckling at the younger male's statement.

“He’s so, uh,” Yukhei waved his hands around in the air as if trying to come up with the proper words to describe the child standing before him. At the end, he settled for a simple _“orange”_ that had Jaehyun and Doyoung laughing along with him.

Jungwoo was confused. With absolutely no knowledge pertaining to any of the colors in the spectrum, the child couldn’t bring himself to even laugh along. Was _orange_ a bad thing? What does it mean to be orange?

The babe, however, had no time to dwell on it at all. Not when the second human, the one that looked like a bunny, was crouching on the ground at eye-level and smiling at him prettily. It made his cheeks burn a little, causing him to further press his face against _master's_ waist. His ears twitched unexpectedly, causing the little creature to release a sudden gasp that earned him a set of random giggles from Yukhei.

The little cat was adorable. It almost made Yukhei want to squeeze him, much like a teddy bear of some sort. But he promised himself he’d remain composed to not frighten the child.

“Hi Jungwoo. I’m Doyoung but you can call me Doie. And the dumb giant behind me is Yukhei.” From behind, Yukhei waved at the child and sent him a genuine smile. The human’s sudden _“you can call me Xuxi!”_ went completely disregarded by both of them equally as Doyoung handed him a gift bag, much like Johnny had done a few days ago.

The babe, albeit feeling confused and awkward around the two strangers, looked at Jaehyun almost instinctively, eyes pleading as if asking for permission to take the offered gift. And the elder, despite finding it odd to see the child waiting for a response, nodded in confirmation. Hence why, with master’s permission to accept the gift, the child took the bag from the human.

“What do you say when someone gives you a gift?”

Jungwoo blinked once.

Twice.

He tried hard to come up with anything but the only thing he could remember was his daddy's evil mocks whenever he handed over his mommy's gifts _—beg for it,_ he'd say, finding pleasure in the child's fear as he did as he was told. And beg he did, for he always sat on his knees at his daddy's feet and lowered his head submissively, earning himself a repulsive chuckle from the elder as he implored for something that came from the only person he held dear in his heart.

_“Please daddy. Jungwoo will be good for you. Please let Jungwoo have mommy's gift. He'll do anything daddy says.”_

He was a monster. An evil monster. A despicable human.

“Jungwoo? Are you okay?

He wished he could have answered the elder’s question but his little mind was drawing blanks. He only knew how to beg. It’s all his daddy had taught him.

“J-Jungwoo doesn’t know, master.”

Doyoung smiled at the babe despite having been caught off guard completely at the child's choice of words when referring to Jaehyun. The brunet, just like his friend, seemed to be slightly confused.

Jungwoo didn’t speak much. He used motions to answer questions. In fact, he didn’t speak to Jungwoo much. But this was the first time he heard the child answering a question using his words. Being addressed as _master_ wasn’t exactly something Jaehyun wanted. The title of master entails ownership, which is something he does _not_ have over the kitten.

He’d have to speak to Jungwoo about this at some point. Preferably in private, but he was not about to further embarrass the child in front of Doyoung and Yukhei. The atmosphere was already tense. The last thing he wanted was to make things worse by correcting him in front of the other two. It was definitely a conversation that could wait.

“We thank them for their generosity. Thank Doie for the gift,” said Jaehyun, patting the child’s head as a way to encourage him to be thankful.

The babe blinked a few times before stepping out from behind the elder. He sat on his knees, much like he used to do with his daddy, and lowered his head submissively. Doyoung, completely taken back by whatever was going on, much like Jaehyun apparently, shook his head and stopped whatever the child was intending to do. Something wasn’t right.

“There’s no need,” said the human, standing up properly and helping the kitten to stand up as well.

“But Jungwoo's daddy taught him to go on his knees for others. He taught Jungwoo to be good to receive something.”

The three humans stared at the child in silence—and even horror in Yukhei's part—as his hold around the strings of the paper bag increased significantly. Jaehyun watched as his tail wrapped itself around his own waist protectively. His ears pressed flatly on his own strands as if reprimanded, eyes shutting close immediately and alerting both Doyoung and himself that something was definitely wrong.

But whatever was provoking such a reaction from the little fluffball would need to wait. This wasn’t the right time or the right circumstances to talk about this. And Jungwoo seemed to be having a hard time already. He was not going to make things worse for him.

“Do you want to open your gift?”

The child shook his head. He wasn’t in the mood to do anything. Not anymore at least. But he had an idea of where the elder was going with this. Hence why, without wasting more time, the babe murmured a quiet _“thank you,”_ which earned him a smile from both strangers as he walked back into the room. The three males watched as the dejected sight of the orange fluffball dragged his little feet inside the room, tail wrapped up protectively around his middle (to the best of its capabilities despite its rather short length) and ears pressing flatly against his strands.

“Will he be okay?” asked Yukhei, watching as the child left the gift bag on the floor by Jaehyun’s bed and then disappeared somewhere further inside the tiny room. If they paid attention closely, they’d hear the sound of the double doors of their friend's closet sliding open.

It seemed to the humans like the child was hiding again.

Jaehyun let out a sigh of exasperation just thinking about the upcoming conversation he’d need to have with Jungwoo. The moment wasn’t supposed to turn into _this_. Doyoung and Yukhei were only supposed to hand him over the clothes they’ve bought for him—and Jaehyun really needed to start thanking his friends for doing things he should be doing for the babe—and Jungwoo was supposed to thank them.

That’s it.

So how exactly did their of act of kindness turn into something so unpleasant and uncomfortable for everyone in the room How exactly is he supposed to re-educate Jungwoo? Whatever his daddy, as he claimed, had taught him didn’t seem appropriate. It seemed to him like there was more to the story. From the way his hands trembled to the way he shut himself off, something just didn’t seem right.

Did Johnny have the same problem when he handed over the clothes he and Ten purchased? He didn’t recall the elder mentioning anything about Jungwoo's peculiar way of thanking others. Did he also kneel at his feet? Did he cry? Did he go to the closet and hid in there for the next hours to come? Did _any_ of these things happen with Johnny _at_ _all_?

Because the only thing Jaehyun recalled Johnny mentioning was the babe's lack of proper speech. He didn’t elaborate on it. He merely said that when Jungwoo was more comfortable using words rather than signs and motions, he’d need to start correcting him. Jaehyun hadn’t bothered asking why or for further details. Jungwoo hardly spoke to begin with. And he had been far too tired to ask for specifics anyway.

But now, after witnessing the odd exchange between Doyoung and him, he had a vague idea of what Johnny was referring to. His five-year-old nephew, Sungchan, didn’t speak in third person. He never did. So to hear a seven-year-old using the speech of a toddler was definitely something he didn’t expect. Much like Johnny said, Jungwoo would need to be corrected sooner or later.

“Is it hybrid behaviour to kneel in front of others to thank them?” asked Yukhei, genuinely concerned and confused by the kitten’s odd display.

Doyoung shook his head but didn’t elaborate.

He didn’t need to. Whatever was going through his head was also going through Jaehyun’s. There were clearly a lot of things about Jungwoo that were a mystery. The only one close enough to the child was Jaehyun but the brunet had far too much on his plate to serve as the hybrid’s personal therapist.

Just based on behaviour alone, Jungwoo needed help. And Jaehyun was not the right person for that.

“You need to speak to Minho again, Jae. Send Johnny if you must. But you can’t keep this to yourself,” said Doyoung, sending the brunet a tight smile and urging Yukhei out of the apartment.

They weren’t planning on staying anyway. They were merely passing by to meet Jungwoo and to drop off the gift. Unfortunately, the meeting hadn’t gone as planned, leaving Jaehyun in a state of frustration and confusion.

Once again, little Jungwoo proved to be more of a problem than a blessing in his otherwise peaceful life, but Jaehyun couldn’t allow himself to dwell on it. Not when he had assignments to complete and finals to study for.

When nighttime finally arrived, the elder was done with his reading and had submitted his research paper a couple of hours before the deadline. He had been working on that forsaken paper for days now, nearly giving himself caffeine induced arrhythmias in several occasions throughout the week.

It wasn’t fun. Thankfully for him, the only thing left was creating the final presentation—which was bound to stress him out given his perfectionist tendencies and inability to apparently get shit done without second guessing himself and his academic decisions. But overall, he could consider this an early final. That’s one less thing to worry about. He still had to take finals for three other classes, but that’s one less subject he’d need to worry about.

And really, with Jungwoo under his care, even if it was something as insignificant as a class, he’d definitely take it over the stress of making sure the babe was still alive and well. In his nineteen years of existence, Jaehyun never thought he’d be stuck raising something that wasn’t a cactus. And really, even a cactus is more independent and takes less work than a hybrid. But responsibility called and he gave Doctor Lee his word.

For the past few hours since his friends came over, Jungwoo had gone into full hiding mode and hadn’t come out of the closet yet. Jaehyun was no expert in hybrid behaviour, but it seemed to him like Jungwoo was dwelling in whatever had occurred with the other two adults. However, whether he was currently dwelling in guilt or embarrassment, Jaehyun realized for the first time in weeks that he knew absolutely _nothing_ about the child.

Other than the basics, of course. But even the basics were so vague that he couldn’t help feeling out of place. Doyoung was right. He had to speak to Minho about Jungwoo's odd mannerism and potential emotional disturbances, some of which were clearly triggered by the memories of his _daddy_ and the abandonment he suffered.

Or maybe that was just Jaehyun trying his best to analyze the situation rationally without having to get anyone else involved. Because if Jungwoo really wanted to talk about it, he would have done so by now. But even that was a risk. Maybe he was failing to realize that the child didn’t feel comfortable enough to speak to anyone just yet.

Standing up from the dining table and _finally_ closing his laptop, the brunet gave himself an extra minute to stretch his sore limbs. He walked to the fridge and pulled out a container with leftover chicken pasta from last night—the same one he had forced Kun to buy for him despite the elder’s endless reminders about taking care of his health. He also pulled out a panini from a bag on the counter, which he kindly reminded himself to bring back from work so Jungwoo could eat something that wasn’t a cup of noodles.

Was it time for another check-up? He was really starting to get concerned about the kitten’s sodium lever at this point.

He went to the room and scanned it for a moment. After all, he had heard the babe sliding the doors to the closet earlier that day, signaling that he had no plans of coming out anytime soon. He was not surprised to not find the babe on the bed at all. Like usual, the sliding door had been left partially open and the babe’s fluffy, orange hair could be seen through the slight crack. Jaehyun left the food on the bed and then approached the hiding child inside the closet.

There were two knocks. They were subtle but loud enough to catch Jungwoo’s attention. However, they earned Jaehyun no response from the subject in question.

“Jungwoo? Would you please come out? It’s dinner time.”

Nothing.

From the slight crack, despite the odd angle and his inability to properly assess the kitten's whereabouts, he could see some movement. The babe switched positions and abandoned his spot completely, probably moving to the other side of the closet where Jaehyun couldn’t see him. Jungwoo was so small that his movement didn’t affect the jackets and sweaters hanging, giving Jaehyun an _actual_ insight of the reason why he probably enjoyed hiding in there—even if he was partially wrong.

Sliding the door open for a moment, he peeked his head inside to the best of his capabilities without disturbing the babe and without invading his “privacy,” or whatever he considered privacy. He watched as Jungwoo’s demeanor changed completely, for he wrapped his tiny tail around his petite frame and pressed whatever was left of it against his tiny chest, almost treating it as an item of comfort to make him feel more at ease.

Although it did the opposite of such.

Even from afar, Jaehyun could tell the babe was uncomfortable. Scared even. And he couldn’t pinpoint the reason behind it. He hadn’t done anything to trigger such behavior, nor could he remember his friends saying or doing anything remotely out of place to make him feel uncomfortable. Was he perhaps still dwelling on the exchange from earlier?

In all honesty, it was early evening. He was physically tired and mentally exhausted. The last thing he wanted was to play therapist. And he was more than sure Jungwoo wouldn’t appreciate it if he tried coaxing him into talking about things he wasn’t comfortable sharing. Nevertheless, the elder had a pending issue revolving around his speech and he couldn’t let it progress. Not unless he wanted to hear Johnny complaining about it. And he was right—the babe had no reason to _still_ refer to himself in third person. It wasn’t right.

“Are you hungry? Dinner is all warmed up. Why don’t you come out and we eat together?”

Jaehyun praised himself mentally, metaphorically patting himself in the back for coming off as approachable, or so he wanted to think. After all, Jungwoo, in his tiny glory, started crawling out of the closet almost immediately as he tried his best to _please_ the human waiting for him outside. And once he was outside and standing in front of Jaehyun, the human led him to the bed where their food was waiting for them.

The child stared at the brunet for a moment, mentally deciding whether he should follow his example and sit on the bed with him. He was reminded, however, of the sound of his daddy's leather belt. He could almost feel the phantom pain and hear the sound of the leather hitting his flesh. He was better off avoiding any potential trouble by just sitting on the floor.

And that’s exactly what he did, taking the offered take-out box from the brunet and then sitting down on the carpet-covered floor. The human, albeit surprised, didn’t question him otherwise. And how could he? Maybe this was Jungwoo’s routine. Maybe this is how he ate all his meals whenever was wasn’t home. Jaehyun had _no clue_ of the child’s eating habits, for this was the very first time he shared a meal with the babe.

Jungwoo had been with him for about a month and a half now, and yet Jaehyun couldn’t remember sharing anything with the babe—not a meal, not a proper conversation, not a random outing. To the human, Jungwoo was nothing but a stranger he saved from dying. And likewise, to the little hybrid, Jaehyun was a savior that rescued him without hesitation—a new master by default.

There was a lot they needed to talk about. Jungwoo had plenty of unresolved issues that needed to be addressed, but Jaehyun couldn’t find it in him to play therapist for him. He didn’t have the time to get to know Jungwoo and figure out how to help him, not when he was rushing to take care of his finals, club activities, and his job whilst simultaneously keeping Jungwoo alive. He could barely take care of himself (and he was doing a poor job at it, too) and now he also had Jungwoo to worry about.

He was stressed, confused, and also worried. How was he supposed to help Jungwoo when he doesn’t spend any time with him? Yes, he spent the most time with him technically, but it felt like Johnny knew more about Jungwoo than he did. He hadn’t even known about Jungwoo's speech until Johnny brought it up. And now Doyoung was expecting him to talk to him (and Minho) about it?

Where did he even start?

He watched as the babe took a bite of the panini, slowly and carefully chewing a portion as if trying to come into terms with the taste. His ears were pressed against his orange strands, occasionally flickering only to resume their position against his locks once again. Jungwoo's demeanor always seemed to change whenever Jaehyun was around. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not, but the human was struggling to understand the sudden change.

“Uh,” Jaehyun had absolutely no idea how to start a conversation. “Do you like it?” asked the human, watching as the babe nodded in response and took another bite of his food.

Silence. Pure silence. This conversation was going great so far!

He couldn’t even hear the sound of the babe chewing, causing him to wonder if it was normal for a kid to be _this_ quiet. His nephew was only five and the little shit ran around the house screaming and reminding everyone he was there. The kids in his neighborhood never seemed to shut up whenever they played outside. If anything, he recalls himself being a loud little shit at Jungwoo's age. Why was the kitten so quiet? It was almost as if he wanted to give the illusion that he didn’t exist.

Maybe Doyoung was right. Maybe he had to manage his own time and set up an appointment with Minho's mentor.

“Jungwoo, why did you kneel in front of Doyoung to thank him for the gift?”

If they were going to be awkward with each other, might as well give them a _reason_ to be awkward. Clearly, whether they had a conversation or not, the atmosphere would be tense and uncomfortable for both. Might as well get some answers out of the way.

The child hesitated for a second, putting his panini down and trying to come up with a proper answer for the elder. One that wouldn’t earn him a judging look, much like the Xuxi person from earlier.

“Because he got to.”

Jaehyun raised a questioning eyebrow and stared at the babe with obvious confusion. He stared at him with the exact _same_ look Jungwoo was trying to avoid.

“No, you don’t. Whomever told you otherwise is _wrong_. You’re not forced to kneel in front of anyone to say thank you.”

“Daddy say it’s what masters like.”

_Masters?_

“Jungwoo, I don’t think—”

“Master don’t like it?”

Jaehyun blinked once. Twice. He was confused, uncomfortable, and disturbed. What had they done to this child? He was starting to get seriously concerned at this point. Mind you, he had only had a real interaction with the babe this afternoon.

How did he even approach this? What was the right course of action?

“I’m master?” Jaehyun asked, pointing at himself and watching as the babe nodded shyly. The half of the panini the kitten had been previously munching on was now sitting on the plate, very much forgotten the moment Jungwoo started talking. Unlike his almost empty container of pasta, Jungwoo had basically had a few bites only. Maybe this wasn’t the right time to have this conversation.

“I’m not your master, Jungwoo. You can call me by my name. Do you know it?” The babe nodded once again, earning himself a forced smile from the human sitting on the bed. “What’s my name?”

Jungwoo blinked several times as if trying to remember it. Only that he hadn’t forgotten. He just didn’t feel okay with simply addressing the elder by his first name. Even his daddy forced him to refer to him as master when he _misbehaved_ and begged the elder to not beat him.

His daddy said only disrespectful kitties use someone’s first name. And Jungwoo, despite not showing it, was very thankful to the elder for giving him a place to stay. The last thing he wanted was to disrespect him in any way—or offend him by not using his earned title. Because the person who _rescues_ the hybrid becomes the master. Whether legally or illegally, much like Jaehyun's case, he was the one taking care of the babe. He was the one providing for him—with a side of his friends joining forces to provide the kid a proper wardrobe—and therefore the one who had a claim on him.

Whether he wanted to be addressed as master or not was something completely different.

“M-Master Jaehyun.”

Jaehyun shook his head.

“No, just Jaehyun. Jungwoo, I’m not your master. You get to refer to me by my name because you’re my equal and vice versa. You may be a hybrid but you’re also your own person. So call me by my name from now on. Can you do that for me?”

The child bit his lower lip and lowered his head in submission, ears fully pressed against his head and blending in with his orange strands. It seemed to him like he was having an internal battle, probably to force himself to speak up and comply with Jaehyun’s request.

At the end, however, he merely shook his head and looked down defeated. It’d be a long way before he could finally comply.

“It’s okay. Take your time if you need to come into terms with it. I do have one last request for you. And I need you to listen to me carefully. From now on, whenever you want to thank someone, you don’t need to kneel down before them. Just smile and say _thank you._ You’re _not_ property, Jungwoo. Legally, you may be considered such, but you’re far from that and there’s no need for you to give away your power to others. You _don’t_ kneel in front of anyone. Whatever your daddy taught you, he was wrong.”

Before the child could respond, the elder ruffled his orange strands and walked away. He took the empty container with him and left the child alone, aiming to give him some privacy so he could eat in peace and come into terms with whatever they had talked about. “Don’t rush if you’re not done. Just leave your plate on the bed whenever you’re done and I’ll come get it later,” said Jaehyun from the kitchen, causing the babe to turn around as if looking for him only to find the room completely empty.

The elder said he didn’t have to kneel in front of anyone to thank them. And to a certain extent, Jungwoo was aware of this. He was not blind to the way his nanny thanked the maids and the security around his house whenever they assisted her. She never went on her knees for anyone. He was aware his mommy didn’t like to see him begging, but his daddy always claimed otherwise. If he didn’t, the punishment was worse. Much worse.

Perhaps he was just projecting his own fear onto others. He kneeled on impulse because it’s what his father conditioned him to do. And even if the brunet said it wasn’t right, forcing himself to stop doing something he’d been doing all his life wasn’t so easy.

The child took the plate and left it on the bed, quietly retreating to the safety of the closet where he fell asleep earlier than usual. As he was losing consciousness, he thought about the human’s request one last time. To the babe, nothing seemed to make sense. The elder wanted him to forget everything he learned through his father’s abusive tendencies. And whilst it sounded like a simple request, Jungwoo was having a hard time coming into terms with his newly found life.

How was he supposed to forget everything he had been forced to learn through inflicted fear? There are things that one cannot simply forget—not when he has witnessed death and abuse so vividly to the extent of relieving the same nightmares over and over again.

He couldn’t possibly tell Jaehyun. Or anyone. He wasn’t ready.

And it was with that internal conflict in mind that the babe finally fell asleep, surrendering himself completely to the mercy of the nightmares and memories that hunted him on daily basis.

It wasn’t until a few hours later that Jaehyun walked into the room once again. He picked up Jungwoo's forgotten plate and noticed the amount of food left behind. Clearly, the kitten hadn’t tried finishing his food. He’d have to consult Minho about the child's loss of appetite, which also gave him the green light to consult about potential therapy sessions for the babe.

It’d be a start.

Unfortunately, such matters would have to be pushed until after finals. He had to take a summer class to not fall behind in his units, meaning he wouldn’t be able to enjoy his break like every other normal student. Luckily for him, Ten and Yukhei were basically on the same boat. Jungwoo's problem could wait a few more weeks.

Jaehyun went to the closet and struggled momentarily to get Jungwoo out. The babe had a dry trail of tears running down his cheeks, alerting the human that he was probably experiencing nightmares again. And much like every other night, Jaehyun couldn’t help sighing in exasperation. Not necessarily directed at Jungwoo himself but rather the situation they were both in. After all, how do you help someone that refuses to open up to you?

Not like Jaehyun was trying anyway. But aren’t most kids easily approachable? Why was Jungwoo the exact opposite? Why did it feel like he needed to tiptoe around the babe?

And if it weren’t for the time, he’d stay dwelling on his inability to provide proper emotional support to the younger boy. But to his misfortune, he had half a chapter to study for before his morning lesson and a quick review of the past unit. And just like everything else on his plate, the brunet pushed the child to the very back of his mind again, trying his absolute best to get back on track and focus on the reviews he was studying for his upcoming finals.

* * *

_“Doyoung said visiting Jungwoo a few days ago didn’t go so well. What happened?”_

_“I don’t know what they did to him, Johnny. I really don’t. And I don’t even know how to help him. He won’t talk. He barely ate. He didn’t even look excited to receive a gift. How can a kid be so detached from his own emotions?”_

_“Is he still crying himself to sleep?”_

_“He is. By the time I get home, he’s always asleep. Lately, because finals are coming up, my schedule has been a little less hectic. But despite getting home earlier than before, Jungwoo is always asleep.”_

_“Cats sleep a lot.”_

_“Something isn’t right. Even if his DNA is that of a feline, something still feels odd. He seems depressed. Scared. He spends the day away inside the closet. At first it was odd. Then it became funny. Now it’s becoming concerning.”_

_“Jaehyun, you need to speak to Minho. Sitting here and making your own deductions will not take us anywhere. If he’s depressed, Doctor Lee will surely know what to do. It’s been weeks now.”_

_“He’s too young to be put on medication.”_

_“He’s also too young to be experiencing depression. And if he is, then this just complicates the situation even more. He needs an assessment done. And then we can talk about options. You can’t assume things, Jaehyun. Let’s get through finals first and then figure out how to help him."_

* * *

With finals around the corner and club activities driving him insane, the brunet ended up disregarding Jungwoo for the last two weeks of the semester. Jaehyun’s lack of time was negatively influencing Jungwoo’s limited dose of activeness, and for the next two weeks the babe spent most of his time staring out the living room window. He learned a few things in the span of those two weeks. For instance, he saw nothing but young adults walking down the sidewalk. Occasionally, the babe would stare at the students that passed by riding bikes or skateboards, or at the random privileged ones riding inside a car.

 _Master_ _Jaehyun_ didn’t belong to either one of those.

He had noticed that the adult he was currently staying with walked _everywhere_. Apart from the vet clinic, in which they had to take the school shuttle to get there, the brunet walked everywhere else. Maybe it was because he didn’t own a bike? Or maybe because he didn’t know how to ride a skateboard. Perhaps he simply liked to walk? Whatever the reason was, Jungwoo didn’t dare to ask. He was curious indeed, but he couldn’t bring himself to question the brunet’s way of living. After all, the one intruding in _master's_ normal life (albeit not so normal anymore) was him.

When he was not staring out the window, he was hiding inside the brunet’s closet. Jungwoo’s tendency to lie down on the cold floor was beyond Jaehyun’s understanding, but he figured the cat was just hot—or depressed. From all he knew, summer was probably Jungwoo’s least favorite season of the year, which explained the younger’s sudden need to lie down on the cool floor within the confined closet. However, the babe’s tendency went beyond that. Yes, he was extremely hot and the only thing Jaehyun owned to help with the heat was a medium-sized fan that Jungwoo didn’t dare come close to out of fear of the moving blade. But his reason for hiding in the closet was a far cry from that—he liked the overpowering scent of the elder.

If there was anything Jungwoo hated the most was being alone. At least lying down inside the closet helped him to feel somewhat close to someone, or rather Jaehyun in this case since the brunet was away from home most of the day.

Whilst Jaehyun was gone, the kitten learned a few basic things he never had to learn before given the fact that his nanny was _always_ the one doing everything for him. He learned how to heat things up in the microwave. Despite the god-forsaken thing being way up high on the shelf, Jungwoo figured that he could use a chair to reach it. Albeit having to stand on his tippy toes to fully reach, the babe learned that Jaehyun’s best friend was the microwave. After all, almost everything he had to eat at home was packed or frozen. At least everything that was packed he could easily heat up without any issues. The frozen food, however, was something he did not dare come close to.

Johnny had come over a few times and had brought a few groceries along to cook for them, but Jungwoo had decided to stay away from the stove. He had accidentally burnt himself after Johnny poured in some cooking oil, and even though there had been no blood whatsoever, the pain for the next upcoming hours was enough to make him not want to go anywhere close to the stove ever again. Luckily, Johnny had wrapped a rilakkuma Band-Aid around his poor little fingers and he had been as good as new the following morning.

The same day after he had taken his last final, however, Jaehyun had gone to work right away and came back home a little after six o’clock. He had rushed the child into _another_ quick shower (despite the babe being anything but enthusiastic about it) and had helped him to put on the outfit Doyoung and Yukhei had gifted him—a pair of pastel pink shorts and a white V-neck. Albeit the shirt fitting slightly loose, the brunet was content with the final outcome. The babe rarely wore anything that was not his pajamas—the ones consisting of a pair of shorts and a matching, loose t-shirt with the face of the rilakkuma bear his obnoxious best friend had purchased sometime in the last two weeks—or any loose t-shirts that belonged to Jaehyun. It was not like Jungwoo went out often anyway, but the babe _did_ own some pieces of clothing Johnny and everyone else had purchased for him. It was not much but it was enough for whenever they had to go out unexpectedly and leaving Jungwoo behind wasn’t a choice.

Much like right now.

Jaehyun (and the little hybrid) had met up with Johnny at the university village about an hour later. The taller student had immediately stretched out his hand for the babe to take, and thankfully for him the babe complied right away. Compared to Jaehyun, the taller male was a little more affectionate when it came down to the child, and Jungwoo could not help but to feel slightly _more_ comfortable with Johnny instead. Other than Johnny, Jaehyun’s lab partner, Doyoung, was someone Jungwoo liked. The pretty brunet, who by the way _still_ reminded him of a bunny, was calm but could be silly at times.

The two adults indulged themselves in a conversation regarding their plans for the rest of their summer break whilst Jungwoo quietly walked together with Jaehyun’s taller friend. By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Doyoung and another boy Jungwoo had not met yet were waiting for the other three. After a few introductions (with a side of amusement coming from the smaller boy whom happened to be Johnny's boyfriend, or so Doyoung teased), the group finally made it into the restaurant.

The first thing Doyoung noticed, other than the fact that the child seemed to be rather fond of Johnny, was the outfit he was wearing. And he couldn’t help the automatic smile that tugged on his lips at the sight. Jungwoo looked adorable. He had to give Johnny credit for his choice of color. When his taller friend said that Jungwoo looked the best in pink, he was _not_ kidding. His little doe eyes and pink, plump lips gave the illusion of a permanent pout—one that couldn’t deny him anything if he were to ask.

_If._

Because much like Jaehyun said, and based on Johnny's observation as well, Jungwoo didn’t ask for anything.

Once inside the restaurant, everyone sat down and proceeded to look through the menu. With the babe sitting between Johnny and Ten—as requested by Ten given his inability to keep himself away from the tiny babe—Jaehyun couldn’t help allowing himself to relax a bit. Maybe, and if things went smoothly tonight, he’d consider more outings with everyone for the sake of familiarizing Jungwoo with more people. It might help him to come out of his shell. Not to mention it’d help him improve his vocabulary a bit and maybe even encourage him to speak more freely.

“Kitten, are you fond of sushi? If you don’t like it, we can order you some ramen,” said Johnny, going through the menu and disregarding whatever Ten and Doyoung were fighting about.

The child, however, surprised Johnny (and Jaehyun from across the table) by shrugging, clearly catching them both off guard at the new discovery. He had never tried sushi before.

Johnny had a quick telepathic conversation with his best friend for a moment, both of them sharing the exact same thought at the sudden realization.

_Did you know?_

_Jaehyun shook his head._

Hence why, smiling at the kid and calling the waiter over, Johnny requested for a bowl of chicken ramen (specifically for Jungwoo) and then started the first round of sushi rolls for everyone.

With the different conversations taking place around the table, and with the realization that it was way past his bedtime already, the babe couldn’t help drifting in and out of consciousness, unknowingly resting his head against Johnny and as he fought the need to fall asleep. But it wasn’t until he started purring that everyone around the table realized what was going on.

So when Johnny fixed his position and coaxed the babe into using his lap as a pillow (and Ten's own as a footrest), Doyoung couldn’t help smiling sadly at the kitten. He watched as the elder carefully stroked the child's orange strands, finding amusement in the purrs being emitted by the babe as he made himself comfortable in Johnny's arms.

“It’s past his bedtime,” said Jaehyun, resting his elbows on the table. He pulled his water closer and took a sip of it, earning himself a look of confusion from Doyoung.

“It’s barely eight though.” Jaehyun was about to respond but Johnny beat him to it, fingers stroking he babe's kitty ears and causing them to flicker as the child let out a whine of discomfort. Ten couldn’t help smiling at the little fluffball and snapping a pictures of him for safekeeping. “Jungwoo sleeps a lot, Doie. And he also sleeps early. He is already asleep by seven o'clock.”

Before Doyoung could respond, the first round of food arrived. Johnny shook the child awake to inform him it was time to eat. Simultaneously, Ten had taken it upon himself to stir the noodles a bit to cool them off, smiling at the kitten as he rubbed his eyes sleepily and glared at the food as if blaming it for being awake—which didn’t go disregarded by Jaehyun, for he found himself smiling at the disgruntled expression on the babe's face.

It had been the first time he’d ever seen Jungwoo waking up.

The side conversations through their meal consisted of their plans for the summer. Doyoung was going abroad with his family and Johnny, much like Jaehyun, planned to go back home and help out his parents with their café. But unlike Jaehyun who had to be back at school within three weeks, he was going to stay with his parents for the whole summer.

By the time Doyoung requested the second round of food, followed by Jaehyun’s third request, the babe had fallen asleep again. The ramen had been halfway eaten. And with Johnny’s help, the child had been more than willing to try sushi for the first time ever. Unfortunately, and much like Ten predicted, the kitten hadn’t enjoyed it as much as Johnny expected. With his nose scrunched up and doe eyes shut tightly, Jungwoo made it rather obvious that he wasn’t too fond of the acquired taste. He shook his head at both Jaehyun and Johnny, earning himself a set of chuckles from everyone around the table.

So yes, buying a bowl of ramen had been a great idea. Because that’s what the child had settled for after his failed attempt at eating whatever everyone else was eating.

And now, about an hour and half into their meal, everyone was finally done and full. The babe, long asleep on Ten's lap, was purring in his sleep and occasionally flinched here and there, causing him to regain partial consciousness but then going back sleep right after. It was almost as if something was stressing him enough to wake him up randomly, triggering a physical reaction that had the kitten up in seconds. Ten’s first instinct was to press him closer to his chest, attempting his best to provide physical comfort just so he’d relax a bit.

And it worked. Somewhat. At least until it was time to leave and he debated on whether they should wake him up or not. But thankfully for him (and everyone else) Johnny stepped in. He picked up the kitten and pressed him against his chest, noodle arms immediately wrapping around his neck whilst the taller male held him up by his tush. His ears were flat and blending in well with his strands, slightly tickling Johnny’s neck as the child rearranged his position on his shoulder.

Saying goodbye to his boyfriend had never been so complicated. With his arms full of a sleeping hybrid, Johnny couldn’t even bend slightly out of fear of waking up the kitten. But even so, despite the adorably awkward angle, Ten managed to still press a peck to Johnny’s cheek, taking advantage of the position to stroke the fluffball's soft strands and poking his cheek rather playfully. It wasn’t until Doyoung scolded him that Ten finally stopped, smiling to himself again and snapping a picture or two (or a whole ten of them) of his boyfriend and the babe.

They looked adorable together.

But it was time to say goodbye. Doyoung coincidentally bumped into his roommate at the shuttle station, biding the other three goodbye and he joined his friend on his journey back home. Jaehyun and Johnny waited for Ten to order an Uber, keeping him company until the car arrived to take him back home. And once the young male was out of sight, the shuttle _finally_ arrived.

Neither Jaehyun nor Johnny wasted time. They got on the shuttle as soon as it stopped, claiming two of the back seats and allowing Johnny to take the window seat. In case more students boarded the bus and moved backwards, at least the movement of those around him wouldn’t disturb the sleeping child, which by the way Johnny had to rearrange within his hold to not wake him up.

“My dad is picking me up tomorrow so I don’t have to take the train. Do you want to come with us?”

It had been a while since he had last seen Mister Suh. The elderly male was a complete sweetheart and he couldn’t count the amount of times he spent at Johnny's house playing all sorts of sports with his best friend and his dad. Mister Suh was like a second father, a more understanding one and more open-minded compared to his own parents, which made him feel slightly guilty for considering him (and his wife) more of a role model than his own parental unit at home. Perhaps that’s why Johnny turned out the way he is.

Loving. Caring. Understanding. Affectionate.

Just look at Jungwoo's newfound attachment for him. The babe had only met him a handful of times and he seemed to like Johnny better than he liked him. But that was okay, too. Because Jaehyun wasn’t emotionally attached to anyone. Not his parents nor friends, but that didn’t mean he bad a heart of stone. He loved them all. He just didn’t know how to express emotions. Growing up with conflicting emotions and concerns revolving around his parents and lack of sympathy for hybrids—but apparently not humans, because clearly humans and hybrids were _so much_ different, or so they seemed to think—left a bad impression on him.

Perhaps he still held them responsible for being emotionally constipated.

“I still haven’t packed up.” Johnny smiled at the feeling of Jungwoo's little fingers gripping his shirt, finding entertainment in the way the kitten scrunched his nose momentarily but seemed to relax again right after. Perhaps the shuttle movements were disturbing his slumber. “It’s okay. He won’t be picking me up in the morning. He’ll be here in the afternoon. And I can always come over to help you pack. It’s not like I got anything to do.”

The shuttle came to a stop and they knew it was time to get off. Waiting for everyone else to come out first, the brunet left the seat and moved over to let Johnny through. They thanked the driver on the way out and then exited the bus, finally making their way back to their tiny student complexes and getting ready for some well deserved rest.

“I still don’t know how to tell my mom about Jungwoo. I’m not too worried about my dad. But my mom will be something else,” said Jaehyun, stopping in front of Johnny's building and getting ready to take over the sleeping hybrid. Johnny, to the best of his capabilities, handed over the orange fluffball and watched as Jaehyun resumed the original position—that of having the child wrapped up around him much like a needy koala, holding him up by the tush as he hid his face in the crook of his neck.

The sudden movement must have woken him up however, for he stirred awake almost immediately and looked around disoriented. Fortunately, he was too sleepy to panic or rationalize whatever was going on, for he merely mumbled a nearly inaudible _“master”_ under his breath and earned himself a quiet hush from the brunet, pressing his free hand against the nape of his neck to lure him back to sleep once again. It worked wonders on the babe since he fell asleep again almost immediately.

It was a foreign feeling. Carrying the little hybrid for the first time ever with a completely different intent as opposed to their daily routine. Moving him from the closet to the bed almost every night wasn’t the same as carrying his sleeping form outside of the tiny complex. His hold around Jungwoo increased significantly, almost protectively if he dared to say. Neither one of the two humans was oblivious to the curious looks they received from others around them, but they simply didn’t dwell on it. Jungwoo was no one’s business outside Jaehyun’s cycle, thus creating a strong bubble of indifference to the brunet and his friends.

But Jungwoo's presence would not be unnoticed for too long. He had to figure out what the next course of action would be. He had to speak to Minho and Doctor Lee about getting special permission from the school to the keep the child with him at the student complex. Otherwise, he’d have to figure out another way.

“I’ll come over tomorrow and then we can ask my dad for advice. I’m sure my mom will adore Jungwoo anyway. Just go home and get some sleep. I’ll come help you pack and we’ll figure something out on the way home.”

Jaehyun nodded and bid his friend goodbye, watching as the taller male ruffled the child’s strands one last time and then walked into the shitty, dusty lobby of his own complex. As he walked away, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of déjà vu, for he had carried Jungwoo the same way on that rainy night he found him all alone. But now, compared to that night, the child seemed more at ease and lax. There were no tears or sobs. Only deep breaths and alluring purrs, some of which Jaehyun must admit gave him a sense of relief.

Once inside his own student apartment, the human placed the babe on the bed and removed his shoes. He pulled out Jungwoo's set of rilakkuma pajamas and proceeded to strip him off, carefully maneuvering the kitten's body around to not wake him up. And once he was done changing his clothes, the brunet tucked him into bed and covered him with a flat sheet. He turned on the fan and left it in a corner facing the wall rather than the kitten directly, internally freaking out over the possibilities of the babe catching a summer cold.

It had been a long day. He was both physically and mentally drained. He had pulled several all-nighters for the sake of studying for his finals. He had also marked his first vacation leave at work, but had taken his time to remind his manager he’d be back in three weeks because of summer classes.

He took a quick shower and then put on a pair of sweatpants. It was way too hot to wear a shirt. He was bound to wake up sweating at some point in the night if he attempted to cover up. By the time he came into the room again, the babe had switched positions and was sleeping on the edge of the bed. Jaehyun didn’t hesitate to rush to the orange fluffball, carefully pushing him towards the center of the bed and using one of the extra pillows he had purchased as a barrier for the babe to not roll over the bed.

He _hoped_ it worked. Otherwise he’d probably wake up to the sound of quiet sobs sometime in the middle of the night.

Unlike the past few weeks however, the brunet decided to take the bed. Jungwoo didn’t take much room. They could both fit on the bed rather comfortably and without issues. So for the first time since the child arrived, Jaehyun allowed himself to lie down with the kitten. Jungwoo smelled like a mix of strawberry scented shampoo and powder milk, quite an odd mix that he hadn't noticed before.

He should probably consult with Doctor Lee about the babe's recent eating habits.

Hence why, without hesitating, the elder pulled the child closer as if preventing him from rolling over the edge and likewise using him as a pillow. And for the first time in weeks, the brunet learned something interesting about the child in his arms. Because the pajama covered kitten was far softer and more comfortable than any of the pillows he owned. And so, telling himself he’d only do this today, the brunet fell asleep to the soothing sound of tiny purrs, making sure the little _bear-cat_ was well tucked in and safe in his hold.

Just tonight. Only for tonight.


End file.
